One Light, One Dark
by MoonMoon91
Summary: In a galaxy under the tyranny of the First Order, all the Jedi trained by the Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker all seem to have been crushed by Kylo Ren - except one, one who holds a much closer realtionship to Kylo Ren than other's in the galaxy. As he returns from the shadows, he embarks on an adventure, making new companions along the way as he aims to retrive Ben Solo - his brother.
1. Hidden

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **Hello readers! So welcome to this story. I've watched the Force Awakens so many times and it's unreal and I've been thinking...of a thousand different things the story could have, should or shouldn't then I came up with this idea. So this takes place DURING The Force Awakens. If enough people enjoy it, then maybe I'll keep on writing – so tell me what you think won't you?**

In the distant quadrants of the galaxy, he remains hidden. Sun blazing down on many who wished to be hidden from the prying eyes of the First Order. The planet Joavis was laced within the void of the Outer Rim, orbiting a single star, and trailed by three moons. The planet's infamous history of villainy, despite it's original loyalty to the former Empire, and now the First Order, made Joavis an ideal hiding spot for the youngster who prowled the capital city.

Joavis's capital was a nest of gleaming buildings and many Stormtrooper patrols, right in the heart of a powerful ocean nearly dominating the planet, thus the city doubled as a spaceport, dealerships and civilian homes all in one, save for the only other three cities on Joavis.

The sky was darkening, only lit by the blinking lights of freighter's as they sailed towards the stars. The youngster sat upon the sloping rooftop of a lesser used building, hidden from Stormtrooper patrols or any thieves who would deem him valuable to potential slave traders. All day he had been listening, listening for news of the First Order, and their battle against the vigilante group of the Resistance, who fought against the rising Order. The galaxy was a mess, he deemed as he watched the blinking lights of a far away Correllian freighter. It bore a similar resemblance to the ship he had spent near his early childhood on. He blinked twice and the ship was gone. It hadn't been, how could it? The ship was gone. That one had been merely another cargo unit, smuggling the force knows what to a different system.

He chewed aimlessly on his last remaining portion. He would need to find work in the morning, should he not wish to go hungry again. He was rather skinny as it was, but by no means frail. Earlier in his life he had trained, trained to use powers people had abandoned in fear and lack of understanding. But the Force was real, he'd felt it, it had called to him all his life from the day he was born...until the day Kylo Ren came into existence. Now the Force was gone, he had been cut out of it, but not by his own deliberation. No, the last remaining Jedi, his former master, had decreed he be left without the Force. Jedi Luke Skywalker had taken it upon himself to separate the, at the time, youngling from the Force, for his own protection. That was the last time anyone saw Luke Skywalker again.

Many searched, the First Order, the Resistance, those who thought themselves capable, those who seeked his bounty. But the man had been gone for years. He could barely remember the Jedi. He could barely remember the Uncle who had separated him from the Force.

Sometimes, when he awoke after repetitive nightmares, he thought himself able to feel it. The Force. Flowing through him. But it wasn't there. He dare not call for it either, no matter how much he yearned after that familiar feeling.

With a heavy sigh, he discarded the crumbs of his portion and began to climb back indoors of the towering structure. It was the perfect place to hide inside. The building held around three hundred floors. The first two hundred were used as a Stormtrooper outpost. Many officers of the First Order who were stationed on Joavis lived, slept and functioned just below him. They never came to the top floor, so he was not only safe, but an exit route was handy too, as a high powered speeder bike lay hidden in the shadows of a disused platform. The troopers used the one several floors below on the other side of the building. Everything around him was abandoned. Rather fitting.

He sealed the glass and it slowly darkened. He stumbled over disused mechanical parts and various other pieces he had not bothered to tidy away. He snatched a silver cylinder from a nearby table and settled into a rut of blankets he had made up in the corner of the farthest room. He sat against the wall and held the cool cylinder in his hands, the metal smooth, though dented in places. His thumb hovered over the circular button, before igniting the crystals within, that projected a sleek green blade from within. The blade hummed as it graced the air, bathing everything in a crisp green glow. He waved the blade once more in a sloppy rendition of a move he could barely remember, letting it remain still besides his face, the tips of his dark hair merely millimetres from the hissing blade. His thumb pressed down on the button again and the blade snapped close with a second hiss, the crystals cooling within.

He placed the lightsaber down with care. It was all that remained, other than him, of the slaughter, of the death induced by the one Kylo Ren. He closed his brown eyes slowly and dared not to think, but holding that lightsaber just reminded him, reminded him of the destruction, the havoc, the Force ripped apart as the Knights of Ren welcome their new master Kylo, after he trailed in the footsteps of the infamous Lord Darth Vader. He had found the lightsaber in the wreckage. He did not know who it had belonged to, he had merely found in beneath the flaming rubble of the new Jedi temple, which Luke had worked so hard to bring to life, for it to be destroyed by his nephew.

He had been a child at the time, merely nine years old as the seventeen year old newly appointed Ren had marched upon the temple with members of the First Order who lay the temple to waste. He could remember the acrid smoke choking his lungs, his eyes watering, his head filled with the thousand screams of the departed. Between the tears, he had seen him. Kylo had stalked back onto his ship with his remaining men after the attack. He knew Kylo had spotted him, a small child standing amongst the ruins, but he hadn't brought himself to kill him, merely continue on his way to his ship and made sure no troopers aimed their blasters at him. Back then, there was a chance there was still a piece of Ben Solo in there, that stopped him from killing the youngling, but now? After all the stories he'd heard of Kylo Ren without mercy across the galaxy, he knew what there was left of Ben Solo was long gone, as gone as the freighter's leaving Joavis's system.

The massacre of the temple still haunted him, along with other dreams. Dreams of times he had not even existed in, dreams of memories that he once held in cherished memory, never believing them to belong to the stuff of nightmares. Ben Solo was dead, he died at the hands of Kylo Ren in that attack several years ago. But _he_ hadn't. He had lived up until now, fifteen and alone. How could he face them? Any of them? They would simply see Kylo in his face. When they rescued him from the temple they couldn't bring themselves to even look at him, him who had been a broken child at the loss of many, and the one closest to him.

It would be no different now. They would still be unable to look him in the eye.

He was alone. Cut off from the force. And tired. Anakin Solo turned beneath the mess of sheets he had created and closed his eyes once more, the lightsaber but inches from his hand, and lights blinking as they entered the system, under the cover of night, hoping nobody would notice their arrival. But what morning on Joavis would bring, Anakin would not be ready for.

 **So there's my idea – the younger brother of Kylo Ren. I know I named him Anakin, but he's not going to be like the one some of you may know from the Star Wars novels, this one is my own creation. So please tell me what you think and if I should consider writing more chapters – I have great ideas for when Kylo and Anakin meet again! So please, let me know!**


	2. Running Away

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **Hey guys, so I've seemingly had a positive response on this story, plenty of followers and a few positive reviews, so I decided to post the next chapter early to see what you all think, so please read this and let me know :) and thanks for all the reads, follows and reviews.**

" _Come on Anakin, its really not that hard," The thirteen-year old was holding back his lack of patience in favour of his younger brother, who yet had to make his ball float. Their Uncle Luke had given them this exercise to practise regularly whilst at home to keep in tune with the Force. Anakin watched as Ben made his red ball slowly rise from the dirt and begin to hover in the air, before shooting off into some trees and returning to them, landing carefully at their feet._

" _Really, it's easy – now you try." The dark haired older brother watched as the small five year old scrunched up his face, his palms out flat as he focused on the small yellow ball that had yet to move from the dirt._

" _I can't do it Ben!" The youngling felt ashamed as his older brother kneeled down besides him and gently took a hold of his hands._

" _You can do it, I know you can Anakin. Come on, try again. Clear your mind." The smaller closed his eyes and took a deep breath, reassured by his brother's close presence. He felt out with the Force and felt the ball's presence, merely a foot away from him. He imagined it rising, rising higher than Dad, higher than Chewie. He concentrated so hard, he felt nearly sick._

" _You're doing it!" Ben cried. Anakin's eyes snapped open to see his brother's smiling face and the yellow ball hovering high above their heads. "You really did it Anakin!" They both cheered, not even noticing the ball fall to floor as Anakin's concentration dropped. Ben scooped his brother up onto his back and the two happily shouted in the forest clearing in happiness._

His body woke in shock. His entire form soaked in sweat and his heart thumping painfully fast as the last images from that long dead childhood faded from his eyes. The smiling faces of the two children slowly faded away, and he climbed out from beneath his tangle of sheets. Sitting with his back to the wall, his face was buried in his hands. They kept coming back. All the dreams. The memories. The more he tried not to think about them, the more they came back in full force.

He rubbed his eyes viciously until brightly coloured spots appeared and removed the memory from his sight. Sighing heavily, he checked the time on the crono he had strapped to his wrist and realised he was going to be late if he wished to find work anywhere. He pulled on some pants and his sturdy boots, a thermal shirt, thick mechanical work gloves, and his oversized jacket that looked worn down and had once belonged to someone older. He pulled his backpack over his back. Inside were all the things he'd require if he was unable to return to the building – a water canteen, pieces of a dismembered com-link, a map of Joavis's underground network, small food ration packs and an old holo-image which remained buried beneath everything else.

Lastly, the lightsaber.

Floors below he could hear the purr of the power generators that powered the sections belonging to the Stormtroopers and the distant clank of their armour. They were higher up than usual. It was possible that they had found out their power generator had been hacked, bringing light to the top floor. Anakin had been sure he'd covered his tracks, but clearly not enough. He had thought it had been the dream that had awoken him, but it must have been the sound of the approaching troopers. The stairs and lift would be useless. Instead, he slid open the window, high powered ocean winds whipping him in the face, his hair becoming tangled instantly. Steadily, he began to climb out the window, placing his feet on the ledge firmly and slowly making his way down.

He'd never make it down all three hundred floors on the outside; he would be spotted eventually and shot down. Instead, he slowly worked his way down several floors until he was sure he'd be clear of the battalion that had been climbing the stairs towards him. He cursed momentarily as he had no way of knowing if the troopers had passed. He could neither sense them nor see them. Joavis's culture was rubbing off on him as he cursed again in their native tongue as, momentarily, he lost his footing and was left half hanging off the edge of the 268th floor of the complex, his feet wavering helplessly in the air as his fingers, numb with the cold, tried to pry open a window desperately, ripping apart a small emergency control panel besides the window. Soon, the circuits overloaded and the glass pane slid open and he sighed heavily as he managed to hoist himself inside.

'Close one.' He breathed to himself, as he lay flat on the carpeted floor of the room, savouring the moment after. However, his peace was short lived as he felt the circular point of a blaster forced upon his brow.

'Don't move.' The metallic drone of a trooper burned his ears, and his eyes snapped open to be confronted by two uniformed whites. One held his blaster steady as Anakin rose to his feet, hands above his head, whilst the second trooper spoke into a com-link.

"Inform the captain we found the intruder." It spoke into the transceiver, which gurgled out something he couldn't interpret. He cursed again and saw no alternative. Either way he would be wanted – should he be arrested and the formalities would include a blood sample, which would verify his identity. Or he could try to escape, without them knowing his name.

"I said don't move." The first trooper said as his hands slowly lowered to his sides. The two blasters were aimed directly at his chest. It was a risky move, but he managed to throw himself at the feet of the first trooper, his companion shooting blindly as he tackled the first to the ground heavily, before retrieving the lightsaber from an easy access pouch of his bag. The green blade hissed to life and he managed to deflect several of the trooper's blaster shots before halving the blaster and slicing the trooper across the armour. It would only singe his skin, the shock would take care of him enough for him to escape.

As he fled from the room, he heard one trooper croak into a com-link that the intruder was a Jedi.

" _Hardly,"_ he thought to himself. A Jedi would have been out of that room in half the time with fewer casualties. He had no Force guidance, his reflexes were slacking, and now he would be wanted across the planet. He needed to leave. Now.

Anakin had hidden amongst the distasteful crowd of Joavis for nearly a year. Nobody had noticed back then a skinny fourteen year old trying to find a place to hide, as it was what they all were doing themselves. Hiding. Now he would have to run like the coward that he was to a new system on the other side of the galaxy.

He clambered down the stairs as quickly as he could, until he was low down enough to try another window before he ran into more troops. He scaled the last few floors and jumped from the edge of a garbage chute. Pulling up his hood and shouldering his bag, he merged back into the crowds and headed towards the spaceport district. There weren't regular passages off Joavis. Likely hood would be he would have to pay a smuggler or offer to work on a freighter until they could drop him off at the next system.

Though the last thing he wanted to do was to run into one smuggler in particular. Han Solo had been heard across the galaxy for swindling people who hired his services. He could be anywhere in the galaxy. And should he run into Anakin, well their last encounter several years ago hadn't been positive, leading to a young boy fleeing from what he had left.

Troopers were marching through the throngs of people and checking their identifications. The lightsaber was safely tucked back in his bag, but he didn't need the Force to tell him that should he continue this way he'd likely be caught. The district General of Joavis would parade him personally to the command ship, boasting how he caught a little Jedi on his patch. They would likely march him right up to Ren himself.

He stopped in his tracks and slipped between several workstations and out of sight of the troopers, masked by the shadows. He tried to calm his breathing with exercises that he vaguely remembered, but without the Force there to guide his calming process, he felt more foolish than ever. He rested his head against the side of the building as he breathed in and out, the foul stenches of the local habitats swirling down his gut. He breathed heavily once more before turning and intending to creep around the building thus to avoid the Stormtrooper patrols.

However he never got far as he fell over something round, landing with a clatter.

He slowly looked up from the ground to see a round form quivering by the side of garbage disposal tanks. There was a circular head tilted to one side of the body, which moved away upon seeing Anakin notice it.

"Hey there little fella, didn't mean to trip over you." He spoke softly, glancing back should anyone have heard his loud fall. He glanced back at the round form to see it slowly roll out of the shadows by mere inches. It was a droid.

He smiled reassuringly at the droid who bleeped uncertainly.

"Me? I'm all right. I'm clumsy at the best of times." Anakin replied as he stood back up, dusting off his pants. The droid bleeped again, reassured by his ability to understand binary. Years of two meddling droids watching over him and…his sibling…had really taught him a thing or two about the language.

He crouched down to as close to the droid's level as he could get. "It's okay, I won't hurt you. I like droids." The small BB unit rolled out from the dark and stayed still before him. He was a well cared for droid. Orange and white markings and seemed pretty advanced.

"What's your name?" He asked the droid, who seemed to be taking in his face. The droid rolled slightly closer and Anakin managed to read the markings located near the dome of the droid's head.

"BB-8, huh?" He said a loud and smiled at the droid. "Nice to meet you BB-8."

The droid let out a series of beeps, which took him a moment to translate. It had been so long since he'd had a conversation this long with anyone, even a droid. He ran his hand through his dark hair at the question BB-8 had just asked.

"Me? Well, I'm nobody, really. I guess…you can call me Ani, I suppose." He tried not to flinch at the nickname that his mother used to don him as a child. He had been teased mercilessly because of it countless times. The droid beeped again, bidding farewell, and began to roll away from him towards the main road. Clearly the droid wasn't native.

"I wouldn't go that way if I were you." He said and the droid stopped, the dome head rotating before it's body. "There are trooper's out there looking for…somebody. If you think they won't pull you apart to search then your wrong. That's if the merchant seller's don't get a hold of you first. They'd pay good money for a droid like you." The droid bleeped loudly before rolling quickly away from the passageway exit and hid behind his legs, quivering.

"Hey it's okay, just keep going around the back and make as much noise you can, best way to stay alive in this city, little buddy." He smiled and patted the droid's dome head, before shifting his bag further up his back before turning to leave the droid. But before he could, BB-8 rolled forward and blocked his path and began to whistle loudly, his little head close to spinning in excitement.

The little droid bleeped out a question, and again he took a second to translate the binary in his head.

"Fighter engines, I don't know. I'm okay at mechanics I suppose…how badly damaged is it?" He asked the droid who whistled excitedly and rolled away towards the direction he had come. Anakin watched the droid roll away, before it turned and whistled at him to follow. He braced himself and slowly began to follow the droid who disappeared around a corner. If they were looking for someone to repair their engine, then maybe he could barter passage off. Of course this could be a trap. He removed the lightsaber from his bag and held it firmly within his jacket pocket as he rounded the corner BB-8 had travelled around.

The small droid was directly ahead, rolling around in excitement before an old hanger bay. They must have had to make an emergency landing here, but didn't want to be found by local authorities. Anakin still gripped the saber tightly. He walked along and reached the hanger, slowly pushing the door open as he heard BB-8's excited bleeps inside. The hanger door opened to reveal the shabby insides of the hanger – the abandoned tools, the oil stains, and BB-8 standing besides a tall dark haired man in a fighter pilot's uniform, who must be his master.

The man looked up as Anakin stepped into the hanger after BB-8, who was still whistling happily.

"Alright buddy, calm down." The man said to the little droid with a smile and Anakin desperately wished for the Force now. He would be able to sense this man's true intentions within a second, but now? It was like walking a busy street blind. A speeder could hit him at any minute. He had to trust others he didn't know to guide him. The man looked up to him and carefully approached him. He seemed as cautious as Anakin felt.

"Hey there." The man held out a hand covered in a pilot glove before him. "The name's Poe Dameron." Anakin shook the man's hand with his right hand, his left still clutching the lightsaber. He didn't want to have to need it.

"I'm Ani." He said slowly as BB-8 rolled around his legs like an over excited Bantha pup.

"Ani, okay then." Poe smiled. "My little buddy here says you're dab hand with fighter engines."

"I've been close enough to them before. Is it bad?"

"See for yourself, kid." Poe stepped back and Anakin gaped up at the X-Wing fighter. Only one group is known to use these ships regularly – and it explained a lot. Why BB-8 ran from the main street after Anakin had warned him of Stormtroopers, and why they used this old hanger bay. They were with the Resistance.

Anakin slowly stepped up to the side of the battered X-Wing and opened the access hatch to inspect the side engines that controlled the S-foils and the emergency power.

"You fried this pretty bad. Been in some tight spots?" Anakin asked as he pulled up an old crate to get a higher look. If they really were with the Resistance, Poe wasn't as likely to attack him. He placed the bag on the oil-stained ground as BB-8 spun around the crate. Though the lightsaber remained in his pocket.

"Yeah, she's seen a fair game. She's got it where it counts though." Anakin froze as he remembered an infamous smuggler describe an old ship in almost the exact same way. Poe must have noticed his frozen expression.

"You okay kid?" He asked as BB-8 bleeped in a concerned tone.

"Yes." He tried not to snap as he collected some welders from a disused workbench and began to carefully reattach the fuel line.

"I appreciate this kid, there's not many who would help a person out on Joavis, well, so I hear." Poe said, leaning up against the X-Wing as Anakin examined the command board within.

"There isn't. It's lucky BB-8 found me when he did. I'm on my way out, and if he'd missed me you probably be stuck here until the new season."

"On your way out? Where you heading?" Anakin closed the hatch and climbed up towards the cockpit of the ship to examine the controls.

"I'm not sure yet. I don't know how yet either, all I know is that I need to get as far from this planet as I possibly can." He heard Poe below him hum and whisper down to BB-8 who whistled louder than ever as he roamed around the ship as if on overload. Anakin climbed down from the cockpit.

"That's the best I can do. BB-8 will be able to keep it in safe mode for most the time, but I'd get to a better mechanic as soon as you can it needs some new parts otherwise you'll be floating back to the Resistance." Poe's head snapped around to stare him straight in the eye.

"What did you say?"

'Don't worry, I'm not a First Order sympathiser. Far from it…the X-Wing, the flight suit, the sneaking about…doesn't take much to guess." Poe ran his hand over his face, sighing into his glove.

"Well kid, there's not much I can offer you except…" Poe climbed up towards the cockpit as BB-8 rolled around Anakin's legs, happily exclaiming in joy. Anakin watched Poe who was tackling his flight seat, pushing it forward, before leaning back on the access ladder.

"There we go, should be big enough, come have a look." Poe climbed over onto the nose of the ship as Anakin scaled the ladder to see Poe had pushed the flight seat up a few paces, so a relatively small person could squeeze in behind the seat. It wouldn't be comfortable, but the nearest system was only forty minutes in lightspeed and he had checked that the Hyper-Drive was fully functional.

"Really?" he asked the pilot in awe.

"Well, you helped me out," Poe smiled. "And besides, I don't think BB-8 would let you go so easily." Poe grinned as Anakin clambered into the cockpit behind the pilots seat as he heard BB-8 happily beep before Poe helped the droid into the droid-command pit. The placement wasn't comfortable, and he had no safety helmet should they crash, but he overlooked all of this as he knew he would soon be on another system and unknown again. He clutched his bag to his chest tightly as Poe clambered into the pilot's seat and began activating the console.

"Let's see if your mechanical skills will get us to Jakku, kid."

"Jakku?' Anakin asked. That was around three systems out. He breathed a sigh of relief. The further form Joavis, the better. It wouldn't be long before the higher command of the First Order was informed there was a Jedi spotted on Joavis.

Kylo Ren typically saw to Jedi personally.

"Yeah, I've got some business to attend to. There are a few settlements that are good for disappearing in on Jakku. All systems working, buddy?" Poe addressed BB-8 who chirped a confirmation and Poe began to manoeuvre the X-Wing out of the hanger. They would need a lot of speed behind them before they were shot down due to unauthorised departure. Anakin felt himself being forced into the back of the X-Wing, control wires and metal stabbing his back as he left Joavis behind him. Soon the ship was relieved of the tension of the atmosphere and they sunk into easy space before jumping to lightspeed. Before they left the system, Anakin managed to squeeze a final look back down to Joavis, the planet of four cities and one powerful ocean, eating away at the planet.

"What's your business on Jakku?' Anakin asked as he shifted upright, his neck already stiff.

"Sorry, that's classified information kid, not that I don't trust you." Poe said. Anakin nodded in understanding.

"What about you, though," Poe asked him. "What are you running from?"

"That's classified."

Poe chuckled merrily and BB-8 bleeped his amusement. Anakin felt as if running into these two had to be the Force's way of telling him he wasn't alone in the galaxy anymore, not really.

 **There we go. So if you guys tell me whether this story is worth continuing, I'll begin working on the next chapter. Thanks for reading – hoped you enjoyed this. So since this follows the Force Awakens, it seems Anakin could run into Kylo Ren at some point in the next few chapters.**

 **Also, thanks go out to everyone who has already reviewed and followed/favourite this story**


	3. Long Dead

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **Hello again! Chapter three time! So I've had a tone of people follow and favourite this story and I want to say thanks! It means a lot to me! Also thanks for the number of reviews I've been getting – they really encourage me with this. So, I hope you enjoy as Kylo Ren makes his first appearance.**

"There you go kid – Jakku."

Anakin's eyes fluttered open and he stifled a yawn as Poe began the landing cycle. Thankfully his dream had been peaceful – just a small island in the middle of a great ocean. Not unlike Joavis's ocean, except the planet had held no islands other than the cities.

"You okay back there?" Poe asked as BB-8 bleeped.

"Yeah. I'm okay." He must have drifted off early into hyperspace, as his legs were cramped and his neck stiff. He had asked Poe how the Resistance were doing against the First Order. The man hadn't gone into details should he figure something out he shouldn't about their base and someone get it out of him later, but the pilot was more than happy to share a wealth of detail on the battle's he'd been in.

"Welcome to your new home, Ani." They began to dip into the atmosphere. Anakin couldn't really see much of Jakku through the glass upper frame of the X-Wing as it was late at night, but from what he'd heard, Jakku was as far and different from his island dream or Joavis. The planet was nothing but sand. He was sure he'd been to a planet with a lot of sand before, or at least heard of one. BB-8 bleeped over the communicator as Poe slowly descended to his location, before shutting off the engines. Once they had been cut off, they sat in a moment's silence. Anakin listened to the night time sounds of Jakku outside. He just hoped he'd adapt quickly here – nothing would betray you more than noticeably unable to cope in the climate.

Poe popped the hatch of the X-Wing and climbed down the ladder rungs first, as Anakin stumbled to get his legs to work after being confined for several hours. He heard voices down below, suggesting Poe had met his contact. Anakin grabbed his bag and clumsily dropped down the ladder, where BB-8 was rolling around for him.

"Calm it little fella." He grinned at the droid who beeped in an excited tone.

"I thought only you were supposed to travel here?" A man's voice asked, directed at Poe. Anakin looked up from BB-8 to see an elderly man, his hair white, but his face shadowed by the flickering flames of a large campfire in the centre of a village, which they landed near.

"This is Ani. Helped me patch up the ship." Poe said as he slung an arm around Anakin's shoulders in a reassuring way. "I promised him passage to a new system – if there's no room here for him I'll take him to the next town." The man was peering at him, but seemed unable to make much out in the darkness.

"It could be dangerous here – we're under the threat of the First Order appearing any day now." The man said as he led them towards the small village. His voice sounded familiar. They stepped closer to the fire crackling in a pit in the centre of the huts. Anakin was grateful for the warmth to spread over him, the nights on Jakku seemed particularly cold.

"You think the First Order knows you're all here then?" Poe asked as they followed the man.

"It's a possibility. I don't underestimate Kylo Ren." Anakin felt his stomach churn at the name. Maybe the old man heard his stomach, or felt his perspiration hit the air, as he suddenly turned to face him in the firelight. There was no way the Force could betray his emotions to anyone – his ability to channel it had been stripped, as well as his presence. Any Force user who saw him would be mightily confused as to why they couldn't sense him, or his thoughts, when he was right in front of them. It was like he was a ghost, drifting through the universe. It had its uses, he supposed.

The man stopped in his tracks and stared at him in the firelight. Several of the villages that passed sent curious glances to him – were they Force sensitive? If so, he would have a hard time coming up with an explanation.

"Ani?" The man whispered as he looked over him. Anakin felt his face grow red. "No," the man whispered. "Anakin Solo." The villagers close enough to hear the man's quiet words stopped and stared.

"Excuse me?' Poe asked, confused. The man just stared fondly at Anakin, and that's when he noticed the ghosts in the man's eyes. He was somewhat familiar, but where had he seen him?

As if reading his mind, the man spoke. "My name is Lor San Tekka. I was once a member of the Church of the Force, and aided your Uncle in his quest to train a new generation of Jedi." Anakin felt his pulse quicken. He knew Luke…was that was Poe was here? Luke had been gone for so long, he would have heard if he had come out of hiding to aid his sister in the fight against the First Order.

"Mind telling me who Anakin Solo is?" Poe asked, clearly confused. He would have heard of the Jedi, but not everyone knew all the details. If this man, Lor San Tekka had aided Luke in training the new Jedi, then it was clear as to how he knew him.

"Poe Dameron, meet Anakin Solo," Lor San slowly lifted a hand to Anakin. "Nephew to Luke Skywalker, and son to General Organa and Captain Solo." Poe's eyes widened slightly and BB-8 beeped in confusion between their legs. Poe looked down at Anakin, who felt his face burn in the firelight.

"That's some heritage, kid. You should have said."

"You need to get him back to the Resistance," Lor San Tekka said as they moved towards the largest of all the huts. They stepped inside the small room that was bathed in candlelight. "You've been running, Anakin. Half the universe, even your family, thinks…" the man trailed off.

"…That Kylo Ren would have found me by now and killed me?" he completed Lor San's words in a toneless voice. He could see in the man's eyes that he too knew who Kylo Ren once was. Was it pity in his eyes? Or despair? He couldn't tell.

"Poe, take him there as soon as we're done. Take him back with the map." The man said as he stroked the remnants of his white beard.

"I'm not going back!" Anakin exclaimed, standing from the chair he had sat in. Poe looked up at him in shock at his outburst.

"No one's going to make you do anything kid, okay? Calm down." Anakin couldn't. He felt the pit of his stomach bubble like lava and he knew if he didn't get out of the pitying look of Lor San Tekka he might do or say something he would greatly regret. He stormed from the hut, the wooden draped doorway jangled as he strode across the sand. Some of the villagers looked at him as he went. He walked in the opposite direction of the X-Wing and sat upon a sandy dune overlooking the village. His eye cast over the hut and saw someone enter with a small box.

Behind him, he heard the tone of sad bleeps. He saw BB-8 roll up besides him, the one lone black eye watching him carefully.

"They can't make me go back, BB-8. It was my fault, and they'll never forgive me. I can't face them."

BB-8 chirped, asking who he couldn't face, or why.

"My parents, BB. I ran for a reason. I can't just go back now." He rested his arms upon his knees and buried his face. BB-8 held no words of comfort, but rolled closer so he knew he was there. He didn't let the little droid see the few tears slipping out of his eyes. They sat in silence for a while as the villagers below went about their business and Poe remained in the hut.

 _Beep-Beep._ Anakin raised his head from his arms to see BB-8 turn and travel further up the sand dune.

"What is it?" He asked as the little droid reached the top, watching the night sky.

"Is something up there?" he asked, his body becoming positively numb at the thought of what could be coming. The night seemed to grow colder and the wind picked up a little. Sand blew into his eyes and he saw why: high above were several large ships – the First Order insignia stamped on the side.

"Stormtroopers." He whispered before BB-8 squealed and rolled down the hill to warn Poe. Anakin remained frozen for a moment more before turning and tumbling down the dune as he raced back into the village.

"Go! Run!' he shouted to the confused people before barging into the hut after BB-8.

"The First Order. They're here." He said, trying to mask the quiver in his voice. Poe stood right up, whilst Lor San Tekka looked down towards his feet. Poe raced out of the hut with BB-8 to see how far the ships were from the village. Anakin turned to follow, but the man gripped his arm.

"He's not Ben anymore, Anakin." He spoke softly. "He will not hesitate to kill you. Get away with Poe back to the Resistance – he has a map to your Uncle. He's the only one who could stop him."

"Ben's got to be in there." Anakin said – he did not wish to face Kylo Ren after all these years, but the chance that his brother might be in there…Luke wouldn't be able to get through to him. "He had the chance to kill me before and he didn't."

"That was the past, now is the present, and he has completely changed. Would you rather face Kylo Ren than your parents? They don't blame you for his turn like you think they do." Anakin snatched his hand back as he stared at the man in the flickering candlelight. He burst from the hut to stand besides Poe.

"You have to hide." Poe spoke to Lor San, not turning around, as he too seemed to fear the oncoming ships.

"You have to leave." Lor San Tekka said and they both turned. "Take the boy with you – go!" Poe stared at the man before nodding at BB-8 to follow him. Anakin remained still, staring at the man who was smiling softly.

"May the Force be with you." He said to the boy, before BB-8 slammed into his legs in a way of telling him to move.

"Come on kid! I'm taking you home." Poe shouted as they sprinted towards the X-Wing. Would Lor San be right? Would Kylo Ren simply strike him down without a second thought? Was that worth dying for? They passed the villagers who began to arm themselves as the ships began to descend on them. Poe grabbed a hold of Anakin's arm and pulled him towards the ship, as every time he looked back, he froze in horror.

"Come on!" He yelled over the noise of distressed villagers.

"What about everyone else?" He asked.

"No time to be a hero – we need to get this map to the General. And you! They can take care of themselves." He felt the vibration of the ships landing far behind them and the sound of blaster fire as the Stormtroopers began firing instantly.

"Come on BB-8, hurry!" Anakin called to the little droid behind him as they reached the fighter. Poe clambered up first and began switching on the engines as Anakin scaled the ladder. He glanced over the top of the X-Wing to the sound of the villagers being shot down.

"We have to help them somehow!" Anakin yelled as Poe pulled him into the cockpit behind the chair, back in his cramped position. Just as Poe got them ready to take off, the X-Wing juddered as blaster shots were aimed repeatedly at the back engines, a blinking light indicating they had been severely damaged.

"I see them!" Poe cried in response to BB-8 frantic tones. He activated the laser blaster beneath the ship. Anakin saw the screen indicated he'd got the trooper's.

"Nice shot." Anakin said as Poe popped the hatch again, his blaster at the ready, and they both clambered out to quickly inspect the engines.

"Blast." Poe cursed under his breath. The looked back to see the Stormtroopers taking the villagers hostage.

"I know I said I never wanted to go back…" Anakin trailed off, but Poe understood. Anything would be better than the blaster end of a Stormtrooper patrol. Poe bent down to BB-8 and pulled out a small pouch. Anakin rummaged in his bag quickly and found the cool hilt of the lightsaber. He pulled it out and held it there, looking it over.

"…It's safer with you than it is with me." Poe said as he placed a small chip inside BB-8's access port. "You get as far away from here as you can. You go with him, kid. I'll come back for you, I promise." Poe looked at them both, before noticing the lightsaber in Anakin's hands. He grasped it in his own and looked him in the eye. "Go with BB-8. If they see you with that, they won't take you hostage they'll kill you without a second thought. Now go! Both of you!" Poe ran off, back towards the village on the other side of the dunes, leaving Anakin with BB-8.

"Come on!" Anakin said to the frightened droid. "He'll be back. Come on BB-8!" the pair raced down several dunes and barely made it over a second when they noticed a shuttle fly over their heads towards the village. It was an upgraded edition of the Lambda class shuttles from the Empire days. Anakin heard as the villagers screamed louder and blaster fire get heavier. He turned and crouched down besides BB-8.

"Go north. I've got to help him." BB-8 protested and began to follow until Anakin held out his hand. "No! You're important – keep going and I'll bring Poe back to you! I'll see you later, just go!" He waved the droid off before clambering back up the dune, his skinny frame coming in handy as he jumped between rocks as he neared the village. He looked behind and saw no sign of BB-8. It looked like the droid trusted him enough to follow his orders. Anakin tightened the straps of his bag and hugged his jacket around him as he watched the village. He could see Poe's head several feet away, aiming a blaster to take down as many troopers as he could.

Anakin watched as the shuttle set itself down as the troopers rounded up the last of the villagers. There was only one person who would have a shuttle to resemble from the days of the Empire. And true enough, once settled, the ramp descended and the cloaked figure strode down the ramp, towards where two Stormtroopers held Lor San Tekka.

Kylo Ren was taller than the last time he saw him. Anakin felt himself lowering the lightsaber as he watched the man, who was once his brother, stride over to Lor San, where the troopers dropped the elderly man to the ground. Anakin was just too far away to hear what Ren was saying to the man, but going by the look on Lor San Tekka's face, it wasn't an all too pleasant conversation. He felt himself gripping the lightsaber, but he didn't know if he would be able to bring himself to use it. What if he attacked and there was still some of Ben in there?

Anakin glanced across to where Poe was stationed and saw the pilot had noticed he was there. He was miming for him to run, to follow BB-8, but he just shook his head slowly. Poe looked torn, but held his blaster tighter too, as Ren circled Lor San. Whatever he said to Ren didn't go down well as he approached the man much closer than before. There was silence before Ren drew the blade hidden in his cloak and struck down the man, who fell helplessly to the ground. The ghosts left his eyes.

Anakin felt ready to lunge, but Poe beat him to it, aiming blaster shots towards Ren, who blocked them easily. Poe was frozen to the spot by an invisible force, and Anakin closed his eyes tight as a couple of Stormtroopers dragged the man over to Ren, the blaster bolt still hanging in the air.

"No!" Anakin let the words slip before he could stop, but no one seemed to hear him, as everyone was transfixed as Ren crouched down to look at Poe, before he seemed to order the Stormtroopers to search the man. They found nothing. Anakin slowly crawled up between the rocks for a better view, and a better chance to jump. He couldn't let them take Poe, not after all the man had done for him.

Ren seemed to order the troopers to take him on board the shuttle, as Poe was marched off. Poe glanced back, but not at Ren, but towards Anakin, with a distant look in his eyes that said _'run'_. A Stormtrooper captain, their armour embellished silver, approached Ren. As Anakin got closer he heard the faint words coming from Ren's mask that left him expressionless, toneless, and a nightmare in Anakin's dreams.

"Sir, the villagers?" The captain asked.

"Kill them all." Ren said without a pause.

"No!" He cried and stood tall, the green saber lit as blaster bolts, which were for the villagers, were aimed up at him. They fired heavily, and Ren's attention had found him now. He deflected them as best he could, but his arms soon became weakened, and he felt like a small child playing with a large stick. Ren's saber was still active, and Anakin hoped he would not have to battle him, as Ren would slaughter him in an instant, but his thoughts wandered too far as a bolt grazed his shoulder, searing the skin and tearing a hole in the muscle. The sudden pain flare made him loose balance and he tumbled down the dune as the trooper's raced to surround him. He need not look up to know Kylo Ren was approaching him. He reached for the lightsaber, but it flew from his hand to the black-gloved hand of Ren as he stood before him.

Anakin's heart beat so fast it was a wonder it hadn't burst through his skin. Kylo must be able to hear it inside that damn mask. He didn't look up; he continued to stare at the ground.

"You have no Force signature." The toneless voice spoke as he saw the man's knees bend to crouch down. "How can you even call yourself a Jedi?" Anakin closed his eyes. "You must be the one that caused the disturbance on Joavis. Search him."

The Stormtroopers pulled him to his feet, though he continued to look at the floor as his jacket was searched, his blaster wound painfully prodded, and his bag pulled from his back. He didn't once look at Ren. His heart was beating painfully fast. He felt close to passing out. He let out a breath slowly as the continents of his bag were tipped over the ground. There were only a few things in, but one was a deactivated holo-image that always lay at the bottom. A trooper handed it to Ren. He may have expected it to be the map. Ren clicked the centre, expecting a route to their uncle to appear, and with 'X' marks the spot.

But all he got was a small image in the palm of his hand of two young boys, both smiling as the smallest rode on his brother's back. Ren would recognise it instantly. And he did. He crushed the holo-image instantly, threw the remains to the side before the black glove reached out and grabbed his throat, pulling his head up, but also his feet from the ground.

"What _are_ you?" The mask asked. Anakin was forced to stare into the dark lenses. He had made a mistake, he could see it now. Ben Solo wasn't in there. Not anymore. He was about to die at the hands of Kylo Ren. The last thing he could do was make it officially known.

"You always did like to show off how much more powerful you were than me." He choked out from beneath the glove that had been physically squeezing at his throat. He felt the master of the Knights of Ren try to probe his mind, but found the heavy block to any invasion set up by their uncle. He expected Ren to break his neck with his bare hands right then and there. But instead…he let him go. Anakin fell to the floor, coughing and heaving as he tried to restore air to his lungs. He looked up from the cloud of dust to see Ren staring at him intently through the mask.

"Bring him on board. Now!" He barked to the Stormtroopers besides him, who hoisted him up under his arms. He was too dizzy to try and make his feet work, so he let the troopers drag him. Ren followed directly behind, watching him all the way, before he motioned to the trooper captain to continue with the execution.

"Stop it! Please!" Anakin cried as the bells of murdered villagers ringed in his ears. Ren waved his hand in his direction and a heavy blow with the Force made his world go black as he was dragged upon the shuttle.

 **Done – so next chapter there'll be more interaction between Kylo and Anakin, this was just to set it off. If you enjoyed this chapter please let me know through the reviews and I'll be back soon! :)**


	4. Are You In There?

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **I know right – two updates in a day. Within four hours. Strange, even for me. But I couldn't wait for this chapter to be up, I've been planning it for ages. So you may have to wait awhile for the fifth chapter to be finished, but I hope you all enjoy this extra piece in good favour.**

" _This'll be a good experience. For all of us." The voice of Han Solo echoed in his head. Anakin knew he was trapped inside another of his memories, and he remembered this one particularly. Han Solo had a habit of disappearing, wandering off into the galaxy with his co-pilot to do what he did best – swindle people who hired his smuggling services. He could be gone at months at a time, leaving General Organa with a Resistance to organise, so Anakin was often left with just Ben. But now Han had suggested they take a trip together. The Millennium Falcon had taken Han, Anakin and Ben to a small planet named Shjkuk in some quadrant they hadn't visited before. The landscape was rocky with large trees covering most of the land. A great lake was way out inland._

" _I'll stay here with Chewie and tend to the ship for a while." Han said to the two boys at his side, a surly fifteen year old with his seven-year-old brother in his charge._

" _Neither of you go past those cliffs-" Han pointed to a small point of grey rock produced in the middle of the forest. "-This planet is uninhabited by dangerous life forms, but we're still checking the eco-system. Go on, the pair of you." Han ruffled the hair of his eldest before heading back inside the ship. Once he was out of earshot, Ben grinned at his smaller brother._

" _Race you out there." He said with a smile and raced down the hillside they landed on and towards the forest._

" _No fair, you got a head start." Small Anakin said as he trailed after his brother as fast as he could. The forest was thick, vines swinging everywhere and strange animals leaped in the trees._

" _Come on Anakin! I'm winning!" Ben called out gleefully, and Anakin tried to pick up his speed. He always lost to his brother, not that he had ever really minded, but today something told him to go faster, to try and beat Ben for once. He saw the trail his brother had made towards their boundaries, so instead he turned left and headed a different way. He smiled to himself, gleeful at the idea of the look on Ben's face when he won for once. Anakin sped up as fast as his small legs would take him – there! A clearing! He must be at the cliff side already._

 _He ran faster, the trees thinning out._

" _I win Ben!" Anakin cried as he stepped into the clearing, Ben just leaving the forest as he spoke._

" _Anakin! Look out!" But it was too late. The ridge was shorter than it looked and he slipped. Anakin felt himself scrape against the rocks and begin to fall. He cried out as he clung to the edge of the cliff top. The fall looked to be miles and miles, more rocks below._

" _Ben! Help!" The small boy cried out as he was slipping. He'd cut his arm on the fall and it was hurting too much with it holding his weight as well._

" _I'm coming!" he heard Ben cry and saw the top of his brother's dark head appear. He lay flat on the ground and was reaching out with his hands. "Come on! Reach!" Ben called. Anakin flailed one of his arms, his fingers grazing Ben's, but not enough to hoist him up. He shouldn't have tried to win the race. Hot tears were streaming down his face as Ben tried to reassure him._

" _Anakin – look at me." Anakin's tear stained face looked up as his fingers began to hurt, slowly slipping. "Okay, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Do you understand, as long as I'm here, you're okay?" Ben began shouting for their father for help, keeping one hand outreached for Anakin to try to grab onto. There was no sign of Han anywhere, and Ben was looking around desperately, a mad look in his eyes._

" _Don't go!" Anakin shouted up to his brother. He was torn – run for help, or stay with Anakin. He should go for help, he couldn't reach him and he wasn't strong enough to get him up – levitating balls with the Force was one thing, but this was different. He couldn't call up the strength to bring Anakin to safety. He was just as helpless._

" _I'll stay with you," Ben said as he lay flat again and tried to reach further out, this time grasping his brother's hand just as it slipped from the rock. "I'm never going to leave you, okay?" Anakin nodded and Ben pulled with all his might, bringing to youngling up, who, once on the safety on the rock, ran to his brother, who clung to him tightly. "I said I wouldn't let you go," Ben whispered in his brother's ear as their father finally appeared._

"You're scared of your own dreams?" The metallic voice of Kylo Ren's mask forced him to open his eyes. It took a second for him to register that the grey he was seeing was that of a metal ceiling. He expected himself to be in a cell, or an interrogation room, but instead he was spread out on a couch in a room that looked as if they were the quarters belonging to a captain. These must belong to Ren. Anakin raised his head and saw Kylo Ren sitting on the couch opposite. His cloak gone, just his black robes and mask remained. He seemed to have been sitting there for a while.

Anakin remembered that Ren couldn't read his thoughts, so his sweaty complexion and the twisted sheet that had been draped over him had been an indicator of a nightmare.

"Some do, they're memories mostly." He said, sitting upright on the couch, rubbing his face with his left hand. He couldn't really be sitting on a couch opposite Kylo Ren himself, discussing dreams, could he? This had to be a dream inside a dream.

'Memories? Do tell." The metallic voice again. Anakin stared at the mask that gave him no indication to Ren's facial expressions.

"Shjkuk. When we were younger." The mask made a strange noise. It sounded as if Ren was grinding his teeth behind the mask. This wasn't how he pictured their first encounter to go – he had expected lightsabers and his ultimate death. Ren rose from his couch and paced around the room, towards a large viewport. Anakin gave the room a once over – there were three other doors, plus one behind him that must lead to the rest of the ship. The room was minimally furnished – two couches, a single armchair, a small table, a large dinning table and chairs behind the couch. All the furniture was in black. And there was the vast viewport that showed the stars and the planet side of Jakku.

Ben had always enjoyed looking at the stars.

"Why am I here?" Anakin asked and Ren turned from the viewport. "Why aren't I in a cell. And where's Poe?" The realisation that his friend was captive also struck him.

"Your companion is in the detention centre, currently undergoing interrogation. As for you not being in a cell…you're my guest." Ren stared at him through that mask – at least Anakin thought he was staring at him; he couldn't tell.

"Guest?" Anakin asked, the sarcasm clear in his voice. He bit back the snort in fear of angering the man – stories of dead officers and trashed ships travelled far. He really was immersed in the Dark Side. He was almost a reconstruction of the fierce Darth Vader. He was trying so hard to be like the man.

"You don't care for my hospitality?" Ren asked. If he had no mask on, Anakin was almost certain his voice would hold amusement.

"I wouldn't call murdering innocent villagers and kidnapping me great hospitality, Ben." He had crossed a line. The saber was out and pointing directly at his throat. The saber crackled strangely. He had never seen such a design either. But it suited him.

"Never. Call me that again. I don't want to hear that name." Ren spoke.

"That's the name of my brother, thank you very much." Anakin rose from the couch, the saber still inches from his throat. "If you're not my brother, why let me be here? Why not kill me, you had your chance last time."

"Last time?" Ren asked, the lightsaber lowered slightly.

"The attack on the temple. You killed everyone – but you left me standing there. You didn't kill me."

"I gave you the option to join me, but you ran off. Don't mistake my offer for mercy. I gave you the opportunity to think it over, but you never returned until late."

"Offer?" Anakin said, confused. He remembered little of the attack; he supposed a lot of it had been blocked out by Luke when he separated him from the Force. But why? What offer had Ren made him that Luke felt the need to block? Ren deactivated his lightsaber and re-attached it to his belt. They stood in silence for a few moments; just staring at each other, as if they couldn't believe the other existed.

"Take off that mask." Anakin said. Where this rush of confidence came from, he didn't know. Maybe it was the little things Ren did that made him think he was in Ben's presence all over again. He held himself the same way, enjoyed watching the stars. He even sat like Ben.

"You think you're in the position to make demands of me?" Ren threatened dangerously, his head titled to the side slightly.

"Yes." He knew he would come to regret bossing Kylo Ren around, but he needed to see his face. He didn't want to see Ben's, he wanted it to be someone else's under that mask, and despite he knew the features wouldn't have changed much. Ren stood still for a moment, but slowly his hands reached up to the mask and released a latch. The front released and he pulled the mask off. Anakin could have fallen back to the couch, could have closed his eyes and tried to wipe the image from his head, but it wouldn't have worked.

He was exactly the same. The same man who had been the best big brother he had imagined as a child. The same face that had told him stories, that had made him laugh, that had shown him the correct way to hold a lightsaber, the same face that had taught him to swim. It was Ben's face.

Ren dropped the mask on the small table between them, before walking around it to stand right in front of him, the face holding the same smirk Ben always did. But he wasn't Ben. And it hurt. It hurt so much it was almost unbearable. Ren placed his hands on Anakin's shoulders in a relaxed fashion. Anakin had images of the man just reaching up and twisting his neck. Only it didn't come, instead, strangely enough, he brought him in for an embrace.

"I'm not Ben Solo, know that he is dead. But we are brothers. That I never denied." Ren said as Anakin found his arms looped around the man. He wanted to push away, he wanted to kick, scream and draw a lightsaber. Ren's was next to his hand on his belt. But he didn't snatch it. His arms stayed on his back, his face buried in the cloth of his robes.

"I wondered for many years what happened to you." Ren said, pulling back to examine him. "You called for days after the attack through the Force. Day and night I couldn't shift you calling for me. The loudest Force in the universe. I planned to come to you, to take you back with me, but then you stopped. Cut off. I couldn't find you anywhere in the Force. I believed you to be-"

"You thought they'd killed me?" He asked in disbelief. Many seemed to think him dead. Ren stepped back from him to stand besides the viewport. He slowly followed him. "You thought our own parents had me killed." He said in a low voice as he examined the stars. Ren hissed through his teeth.

"They are not my parents. But yes, I thought they had you killed, I thought they saw the potential in you to become like me and felt you were a threat to their beloved Republic." Anakin saw his reflection in the glass next to Ren's and noted how similar they were now. Although he was still shorter, Ren did have eight years on him, they had very similar features – the same nose, chin, and eye shape. Anakin's hair was slightly lighter from time under the blazing suns of planets he'd hidden on, though a similar length to Ren's, though his covered his face more rather than swept back. They shared the same dark eyes, though Ren's seemed to be a deeper colour, as if all the hate of Dark Side was controlled in his eyes. Ren turned and looked down at him, still the taller of the two, but Anakin noted he was slowly catching up the twenty-three year old.

"Come, I want to show you something." Ren turned and strode to the door. He didn't collect his mask, as if he believed Anakin would only listen to his face, rather than the void of the mask. He wasn't wrong. Anakin grabbed his jacket from the edge of the couch and pulled it on as he walked over the main door Ren stood by. The doors shot open to reveal the busy innards of the Star Destroyer _Finalizer_. Two Stormtroopers were stationed outside the doors, shifting uncomfortably. Anakin supposed Ren didn't know just how strong he was and placed the troops there for extra precaution.

He followed Ren through the crowds of officers who either bowed to him or avoided him completely. Some stared, as if unused to seeing him without his mask, but they also stared at him. His resemblance to Kylo Ren gave their relationship away. Some even stared at him, until Ren caught them looking and they turned around, terrified. Kylo led him to the bridge, where a member of staff saluted Ren.

"Report." Ren said as he removed his gloves.

"We found no evidence of the map anywhere in the village, sir, but also-"

"-But also the pilot you captured has yet to tell us anything." A new voice spoke, full of arrogance and Anakin could tell the man wasn't going to like him being here – it was the voice of someone who believed himself deserved all the control possible.

"General Hux." Kylo Ren said smoothly to the man with hair sleeked back, his uniform pristine.

"Ren. Does the Supreme Leader know of your…family bonding session during hours?" Hux sneered as he glanced down at Anakin. Oh yeah, this one didn't like him at all. "I do hope your family affairs aren't going to interrupt our operations here, exposing them to a Resistance supporter."

"He has no ties to the Resistance whatsoever, Hux. I would tread carefully if I were you." Ren said, his voice dangerously low as he glared at the man who was just slightly shorter than him. Anakin felt himself momentarily lifted Ren stood up for him. Ren stepped back and placed an arm around Anakin's shoulders and led him towards the viewport of the bridge, Hux standing behind them, watching with a glare in his eyes.

"Whoa." Anakin breathed as he looked down on Jakku from above. Legions of Tie-Fighters marched through space in synchronisation.

Ren chuckled slightly, tightening his grip on Anakin's shoulders. "It's an impressive view. Tell me, what was it you were running to Jakku from."

"Everything." Anakin said as he stepped away from Ren's touch to place his hand on the glass pane that separated him from the vacuum of space. "I haven't been home in about five years. I couldn't face anyone." He breathed; his breathe fogging the glass that he wiped with his sleeve so he could continue looking.

Ren sighed heavily and stood next to him. "This is a better life for you, Anakin. More stable. Running about and hiding like a common criminal is not a life for you. I want a better life for you. You have that with the First Order. What did the Resistance ever do for you? They never looked out for you, they never taught you a thing. That was all me. We can still be together. All you have to do is tell me." Anakin stepped away from the glass.

"Tell you what?" He asked, nervous by Ren's overbearing presence.

"Where the map to Skywalker is." Ren lowered himself slightly to whisper in his ear. "He stole the Force from you, then abandoned you when you needed a teacher more than anything. Tell me where the map is and we can finish him together. The Supreme Leader will let you stay with me if you tell me now."

When they were younger, Ben did have a habit of playing mind tricks on him to get what he wanted, whenever he was in a particularly vindictive mood. As they grew closer to the day Kylo Ren was born, he began emotionally manipulating people. He had tested it on his younger brother a few times, and Anakin recognised it. Ren didn't give a damn about him – it was his way of tricking him. He couldn't get the information out of his head with the Force Block in place, so he would manipulate him with comforts, with things that would make him want to stay by his side forever more.

"I don't know where the droid is." Anakin said simply, not even meeting Ren's eye in the reflection of the glass. "I have absolutely no idea about any of it."

"Although this is rather touching, Ren." General Hux spoke up, standing directly behind them. "We need results. Now. If he has outgrown his uses-" Hux motioned to two Stormtroopers who clanked over. "Maybe some proper interrogation would jog his memory."

Ice made it's way into his stomach as Ren nodded down to him and the two Stormtroopers seized him immediately. Ren stood in front of Hux and looked down at him, a smirk curling on the edge of his mouth. He didn't deserve that smirk – it belonged to Ben. It all belonged to Ben, not this madman.

"Maybe a few nights in the detention centre will awaken your memory. I've always been able to beat you, Anakin. And I will beat you again." He breathed the words, his face so close to his he could feel the breath on his face. They stared at each other before Ren leaned back up to his full height and the Stormtroopers dragged him from the bridge and through the ship.

"Maybe his companion will loosen his tongue when I'm through with him." He heard Ren say behind him, before the Knight marched off towards where Poe would be kept. Anakin screamed after him. Screaming the first things that came from his mind, until one trooper bashed him over the head with their blaster.

He held back the tidal wave of emotions that threatened to consume him. It was all a trick. His brother really was dead. He didn't slaughter him on Jakku, as that would have been too merciful. He gave Anakin the worst thing he could – he gave him the hope his brother was still in there. But he wasn't. Ben was gone.

The Stormtroopers dragged him into the detention block and led him to a cell.

"Here you go, Jedi scum." The two threw him into the cell and the door shut immediately. It was stark – merely a bunk and a toilet in the corner. There was a camera in the top corner above the door. They would watch him every day until he broke. But he wouldn't. The Resistance needed Luke Skywalker more than ever now. He wouldn't tell Ren about BB-8 no matter what he did to him. Something told him the Master of the Knights of Ren wasn't going to give him leeway due to their relationship – he was probably going to block that from his mind.

Anakin lay down on the lone bunk and stared at the ceiling. The lights were a piercing white. He'd heard of the First Order and their techniques of interrogation. They could start with pain. But then came the psychological stuff. They could lock you in a cell for days with no food, lights on 24/7 to make you loose sense of everything until you blustered everything out. Anakin removed his jacket and draped it over his face to hide from the bright lights as he decided to get some shuteye.

Nobody knew he was here – if Poe escaped there would be no way he'd manage to get to him. Kylo Ren would see to that. It looked like he was stuck here with no chance of escape. All he had now were the nightmares of what his brother had become.

 **There we go, we see Kylo Ren and Anakin, not a very happy reunion by the end, is it? So please tell me what you thought. I like to know what you all think about character development and stuff – is Kylo how you expected him to be? Hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you next time :)**


	5. Wounded Soul

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **Hey guys! What can I say? I really enjoy writing this and letting you guys read it. Thanks for the follows/favourites and the reviews again guys – I always appreciate it and I love the feedback, so please let me know what you think. But most importantly, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

How long had it been? Weeks? Months? He might have only been in the cell little over a day but he couldn't tell. The lights blinded him and made him sick, two droids had come in and given him injections that made the room spin and he ended up blacking out. More than once, when he awoke, he thought he saw Kylo Ren standing by the door, but one long blink and he was gone. He was being torn apart from the inside.

He lay on the metal ground of the cell, drifting in and out of consciousness.

"Why are you doing this?" He had spoken up to the camera in the cell, blinking innocently at him. He hadn't expected an answer. But the next time he awoke, he knew that Ren had been in the cell, as a small slip of paper lay by the foot of the door.

" _We have to break you first to make you stronger."_

He had scrunched the paper up and thrown it feebly at the camera. He spread himself on the ground, trying to focus his mind on other things. For once, his memories proved an escape route from the blank walls of the cell, rather than dreaded nightmares. He had removed his jacket and thermal shirt till he was in his trousers and a plain white under shirt. No amount of clothing over his head could block out the lights. He was sure they brought up the intensity whenever they thought he was going to try to sleep. After maybe several hours of sitting silently against a wall, the cell door opened. He didn't care for who entered, just to see something different, to break his mind away from the dark thoughts drifting around in his head.

It was two Stormtroopers. One had his blaster in his hands; the other held a plastic tray.

"Eat this. And hurry." The trooper said with no tone emitting from behind the helmet. He wondered if they were all the same. Not in appearance, as the Clone army had been disbanded before he was even born. But were their eyes the same? Dull, repetitive, brainwashed?

The trooper handed him the tray, which he almost snatched. It was the first piece of food he'd had in a long time. Merely half a cup of water and a dry, bland substance that tasted rather vile. But he chewed it anyways and washed it down with one large gulp of water that dried the cup out.

"Move it." The trooper said, taking his tray and leaving it on the bunk. He was hauled to his feet, leaving his jacket and over shirt on the ground. He clung to the trooper to stop him falling. His legs felt like lead. Whatever the last droid had given him had made his whole body tense up, nearly impossible to move. It must have been added to the solution they had given him before, as he would normally just have hallucinations. The trooper shook him to get him to stand by himself, before cuffing his wrists and the two escorted him out of the cell. The near white walls of the room had made it impossible for him to focus immediately on anything as he walked.

More sickness threatened to over take him, as they had to tug his arm to get him to walk the right way. He was thankful for the corridors behind rather dark. If they had been a burst of colour he may have thrown up. He stood in the lift with the two troopers going up and they exited onto a floor he recognised. Were they taking him to Ren? They must be as they turned away from the direction of the bridge and trailed the route he was sure led to Ren's quarters. They passed officers, troopers and General Hux, the man from the bridge who, smirked lightly at his shaken appearance. Anakin didn't have the strength to retort or even glare back. He continued to allow his mouth to hang open lightly and remained bleary eyed.

They came to a halt outside the doors leading to Ren's quarters. He would be able to sense the Stormtroopers if not him, and the doors slid open. He remained rooted to the spot until one of them pushed him into the room with the butt of their blaster. The doors closed behind him. Kylo Ren stood besides the viewport, watching him through the mask, until he released the latch and removed it from his head.

"Good afternoon." He said in a crisp voice, a small smirk on the edge of his lips.

"Is it?" Anakin grunted. At least he still held enough strength to make his voice not quiver.

"How do you like your new accommodations?" Ren asked as he folded his arms and walked slowly about the room.

"Little too bright for my taste." He said, trying the shift the cuffs on his wrists as they began to irritate his skin. Ren noticed and waved his hand. The cuffs released and fell to the ground. He turned and headed towards one of the doors within his quarters. He didn't say anything, but Anakin knew he had to follow. He caught his reflection in the glass of the viewport. He was a mess. Paler than Ren beneath the mask, his eyes were sunken and held dark circles, and his hair was unruly from who-knows how many hours of tugging at it, trying to stop the thoughts circling his mind. They were things he did not want to think about.

"How long have I been in there?" He asked, still holding back the quiver. There was no crono-display in Ren's quarters, so he had no clue to the date. He could have been in that cell a year. It certainly felt like it.

"Little over a day. You've coped better that I thought you would, without any of the Force to take away some of the strain."

 _Little over a day_ _._ That's all. He barely survived that. He felt weak; he barely survived a day in only in a cell.

"Where's Poe?" He asked. He hoped desperately that the pilot hadn't cracked. If he hadn't said anything by now, then they'd still need him alive. Ren lead him into an adjoining room that looked like a gymnasium. Though a rather specific one. Battle drones lined the walls and a table held several lightsabers. The one he had on Jakku was amongst the pile.

"We know the map is within a BB unit droid, somewhere on Jakku."

Anakin felt his insides freeze. He closed his eyes and held back the defeated sigh. He knew Poe wouldn't willing betray the Resistance, but Ren would have his ways. He always got what he wanted. BB-8. He was alone on Jakku with a trail of Stormtroopers after him. He had told the little droid to head north. He would have reached a settlement by now. He just hoped the droid could stay hidden until…until what? He wasn't going to get out of here. Maybe Poe could break through. The pilot had told him he'd been in hotspots before and managed to escape, even escaping a First Order prison camp. If he was still alive that was….

"Your companion is alive. For now." Ren spoke as he removed his lightsaber from his belt. Anakin shivered, Ren certainly wasn't reading his mind but it worried him when it felt like he had. "We've extracted nothing of the base from him. If he doesn't give anything else by nightfall on Jakku, then Hux has ordered his execution. By you."

Anakin stopped examining the other lightsabers. He turned to face Ren who was toying with that smirk of Ben's again.

"If you think I'm doing that, then you can forget it." Ren smiled and stood back and activated his lightsaber.

"Pick one. Now." He wanted to spar? Now? In the middle of all this? What was he up to? Anakin spun and retrieved his own lightsaber form the table. He didn't even consider the other ones.

"Pathetic." Ren said. "That saber is too heavy for you. You did not build it, you do not feel the connection to your blade."

"I don't have a connection to anything if you don't remember." Anakin held back the snarl. Ren smiled again and lunged. Anakin barely had the time to activate his lightsaber. He dodged the lunge and switched on the green blade. It hummed besides his head.

Ren knew he would win. Anakin had no calling to the Force to guide his actions, he had little strength and he was beginning to shake, affecting his balance. But he parried when the crackling red blade descended on him.

"I've wanted to ask-" he panted out as he jumped to the side, Ren tailoring him. "-what's with the design? It's nothing like you've had before." Anakin swing the blade clumsily which Ren blocked easily. He looked bored.

"The crystal is cracked. Powerful but damaged. The lightsaber allows it to vent, but it still has its ways. Now attack me." Anakin was sweating strongly. It was adrenaline that kept him going, and the burning in his gut that grew when he looked at Ren. He lunged violently, which Ren very nearly missed. Anakin felt himself grinning. He began to repetitively swing the blade violently at Ren, not to disarm but to maim. Maybe even kill. What was he doing? When he very nearly nicked his shoulder, Ren gave out a burst of speed and sliced along Anakin's saber arm. He dropped the blade and fell to the ground as the skin smoked and burnt flesh travelled through the room. His hair clung to his face and scalp. He hadn't realised how fast his heart was beating. Ren stood above and deactivated the saber.

"Even without the Force you have it." Ren said as he pulled him to his feet by his shirt.

"Have what?" Anakin asked, his eyes staring to fill as the wound hissed and the burnt skin became like glue before crackling into a blister. He breathed heavily to calm himself down. He was over excited, hot headed even.

"Anger. Hate. It's what drove you in your last few seconds. With the Force at your side and some proper training, you could be _unstoppable._ " Anakin lowered his head in shame, staring at his injury. He deserved it, if what Ren said was true. He had used anger to fuel him. Ren had taunted him from the start to get him to react. Ren could have killed him before he even drew his blade. He had egged him on.

"The offer still stands." Ren spoke softly, his eyes hungry as he clipped his saber to his belt. Anakin supposed he had never ended a fight without killing someone. "You've had around six years. And the time in your cell to contemplate it."

"You mean the offer you made at the temple? I still don't know what it was." He said, though he had an inkling to what the offer could be. Anakin hissed as he lightly touched his wound. It went from his wrist to his elbow, curving around the arm. It was deep. If the heat of the blade hadn't cauterised the wound he would have lost a lot of blood already. Ren could have easily taken his arm in that moment.

"You have it in you Anakin." Ren wrapped an arm around his shoulders in a brotherly fashion that made him sick to the stomach more than the droids coming into his cell ever had. "The Supreme Leader: he is wise and has seen your potential. You have the opportunity to become an apprentice, as a Knight of Ren. Everything you could have dreamed of with it."

Anakin stepped away from Ren, who frowned as he saw the defiant look in his face.

" _No._ " Anakin slowly shook his head."Kylo Ren killed my brother. If you think I'm going to join you and your _Supreme Leader_ then you're more idiotic that I first thought." He had crossed another line. Ren's lightsaber was back out. The table holding the other lightsabers was melted in a flash. The wall was chunks of molten lava as the saber flicked through it like a knife through blue-milk butter. Anakin slowly stepped away as Ren breathed heavily, closing his eyes, visibly relaxing after venting his anger physically. Ren's head turned slightly to look at him from behind before flicking his wrist in the direction of the doors, where the two troopers came marching in instantly.

"Take him to the infirmary. Get the wound cleaned from infection, but no pain medication. Then take him to interrogation room seven. Now! I want to see him in there in fifteen minutes." The troopers grabbed his wrists and re-bound them. The end of his wound flared up against the cool metal. A trooper grabbed his arm and began to lead him away. Ren's hand clamped onto his shoulder and he whispered in his ear.

"You'll regret this decision." Anakin just stared straight ahead, not turning to face the man.

"The only thing I regret is not being there for my brother when he probably needed it the most." The troopers escorted him from the room and Ren's quarters. He didn't look back, but he knew Kylo Ren's stare was burning into his back. The Stormtroopers took him in the direction of the infirmary, and Anakin tried to not to gasp in pain every time his binders twisted and tugged at the burnt flesh.

As they turned a corridor, they saw one trooper escorting a familiar prisoner.

"Poe!" Anakin called before the trooper behind his whacked him over the head.

"Ani!" Poe shouted the nickname-turned-alias in glee. The trooper escorting Poe froze before using his blaster to whack, not Poe, but the trooper on Anakin's right, over the head. The second one aimed his blaster but Anakin saw a window of opportunity and in a split second barged into the trooper and delivered swift kick to the head, an old trick that he knew would leave the Stormtrooper unconscious, not dead.

Anakin quickly looked back up at the trooper who was with Poe. He removed his helmet to reveal a nervous face as he looked down at the bodies of his fellow troopers.

"You're new." Anakin blurted out. Anakin stared that the Stormtrooper and his question was answered – there was no way they could all have the same eyes, this one saw things differently enough to help them. He looked at Poe, who grinned.

"Quick. We have to move them." The trooper said, grabbing one under the arms and dragging him towards a supply cupboard. Poe grabbed the other trooper, whilst Anakin opened the cupboard door and stepped inside where the two troopers were laid next to each other.

"Some one going to tell me what's going on here?" Anakin asked as the trooper who rescued them checked the pulses of the others and Poe worked on Anakin's binders.

"This guy came to spring me. Needs a pilot to get out of here. I said I wouldn't leave without you." Poe said.

"Good thing you were coming this way. We'd have never found you otherwise." The trooper said. He was glancing at Anakin curiously. Probably wondering why Poe refused to leave without him – he probably didn't look like anything special right now.

"What the hell happened to you, kid?" Poe suddenly asked in alarm, looking at the thick, blistering wound on his arm. Anakin suddenly remembered Ren would be awaiting him in the interrogation room shortly.

"Long story. We have to get out of here. Now." The trooper bent down and slowly began removing the armour of the shorter of the two troopers.

"Um, what are you doing?" Poe asked uncertainly.

"There can't be two prisoners and one Stormtrooper, it would attract attention. Here kid-" he chucked a piece of armour towards Anakin. "Put it on. I've heard you're a high security prisoner. No reason for you to be anywhere near the hanger – orders from Kylo Ren himself. Hide in there and we might just make it." Anakin began piecing the suit together, Poe helping as it was more complex to put on that you would think.

"You're KJ-1182. Okay?" The trooper said, replacing his helmet. "Remember in case anyone questions you. I'm FN-2187 by the way." The trooper clumsily shook both their hands. It was a strange experience.

"Good to meet you FN 2…um," Poe trailed off. Were two letters and numbers the only indicators to their identities?

"We're getting out of here, kid." Poe said with a grin. Anakin smiled back, before grimacing at the sleeve of the suit's undershirt rode up against his blister. He needed it to be checked over soon, or risk infection. The suit was still a little too large for him, as he was shorter than most the Stormtroopers, but he stretched out his back, and placed the helmet over his head.

"Ready?" FN-2187 asked and they nodded. They loosely attached the binder's to Poe's wrists before leaving the cupboard, checking the coast was clear first.

"Hang on," Poe said and kicked his leg out at the control panel of the supply closet. The panel fell loose and the locks could be heard setting into place. "We don't want any gate crashers, do we?" Poe said with a smile and kicked the panel to the corner of the corridor.

"Come on now," Anakin said. "Ren's expecting me in the interrogation room in about ten minutes now. If I'm not there he'll know something up and sound the alarm."

"Let's do this then." Poe grinned and FN-2187 nodded as he and Anakin gripped Poe's arms. Anakin held the stolen Stormtrooper blaster in the hand of his good arm as they made their way to the hanger, FN-2187 leading the way. _He was getting out_. If Ren hadn't wanted to duel him, he may have been stuck in that cell all day and missed this window of opportunity. Though the Force couldn't speak to him, or him to it, Anakin knew it was currently trying to work in his favour. It did work in mysterious ways.

 **There we go guys! The last chapter of the year! I hope everyone has a great New Year and I'll see you real soon :D**


	6. Inner Demons

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **Hello – time for another update! Yeah, enjoy the regular updates whilst they last. I go back to Sixth Form next week so I'll be overrun with coursework so they might be a bit slow. So thanks for all the latest reviews. If you have a question or a request for something in this story as I want to be as involved with you guys as I can from now on :)**

 **So for C.E.W. on your last review on Kylo Ren being born around a year after the battle of Endor, I couldn't find any information like that when I first drafted this, but if thought for Anakin to be fifteen and Kylo twenty-three would be interesting ages to work with in this story. It's just a bit of fun really as I was unsure of his proper age, but thanks for the heads up and constant support – I really appreciate it :)**

 **So I'll let you get on with this chapter, I hope you like it – and hopefully the staff will fix the issue with the reviews as when I get them, the counter goes up but they do not display, so please don't be offended if you think I'm ignoring you, I'll try yo respond as best and as quickly as I can, but for now – enjoy!**

Kylo Ren arrived in the detention centre promptly, Stormtroopers standing taller with the backs straight upon seeing him. He was perfectly composed. Despite the mask covering his face, he kept his face straight as if it were in the public view. He turned left and entered the doors to interrogation chamber seven, where he had instructed the troopers take the prisoner...his brother. But the room was empty. There were no troopers stationed at the door, nor was there a body strapped to the table awaiting the brutal techniques of the First Order. It was empty. Ren stood there for a few moments, contemplating the lack of brown eyes staring at him in disgust from the table. Growling internally at the delay, he turned and strode back into the main detention centre. He walked up to where the communications port was, a lieutenant stood stationary, perspiration brimming beneath his cap.

"Contact the medical wing. Inform them if they don't bring the boy straight here now they'll pay with their lives."

"Yes sir." The lieutenant said. Ren could feel the fear radiating off the man in tidal waves at being so close to him as he punched in the code for the infirmary before speaking into the transceiver. Ren closed his eyes behind the mask and let the Force spread out across the ship. He felt every emotion of every member of the flagship. Although he knew he would not feel Anakin through the Force, he still reached out for any sign of the boy, any form of recognition, that bright spot he remembered sensing the day his brother was born. There was nothing. He felt something constrict inside his chest and he pushed it back. No. He would not feel anything for the boy. He would not let the old memories and emotions of Ben Solo affect his mission.

The lieutenant slowly placed the transceiver down, swallowing his nerves before facing Ren.

"Sir, it seems, that...the prisoner never arrived at the medical wing. Neither trooper has been seen with the prisoner. Sir, there's no trace of him anywhere." Ren felt the rage swell inside him, and anything loose within the room shook with undiluted anger. The lieutenant looked close to passing out. Ren turned and strode in the direction of the bridge, his fury unmatched. The boy had no connection to the Force. How had he managed to disappear so suddenly? Ren headed in the direction of the bridge. Supreme Leader Snoke had ordered the boy to be brought before him on Starkiller base. Now he would arrive empty handed. His master would see the boy as troublesome and may reconsider the idea of the boy being trained. Anakin _needed_ to be trained. The Jedi were weak, selfish beings that would exploit the boy's power. He belonged _here._ Besides him and the First Order.

Officers jumped to their stations as Kylo Ren passed them. Still infuriated by the boys escape, something tingled inside his chest. No matter how hard he blocked the emotion or tried to ignore it, he couldn't deny that feeling was a sense of relief at the boys escape. And dare he admit the fact that he felt pride course over him? The remains of Ben Solo smiled silently to himself on the inside, but that only added to the fire of Kylo Ren's anger.

 **/STAR WARS/**

Entering the hanger, Anakin felt a twist of nerves within his stomach. Passing small formations of troopers and officers, he knew he couldn't wait much longer to get off this ship, and as far from Kylo Ren as he possibly could. He had been as close to the man as he could and it was true – Lor San Tekka had been right. Ben wasn't in there. Not anymore. Ren had overtaken him and crushed the remains of his brother deep within his subconscious. Nothing would bring him back.

"Okay, keep calm. Keep calm." He heard FN-2187 mutter beneath his mask. Seriously, he needed a new name. To only give the Stormtroopers identification numbers was just derogatory.

"I am calm." Poe whispered quietly as they passed more troopers.

"I was talking to myself." FN said and Anakin grinned beneath his own mask. The suit was still too large. How they had passed this many troopers without someone double glancing them was a miracle. He was a little too short to be a Stormtrooper. TIE fighters were lined along the inner walls of the hanger bay. Anakin glanced at the small fighters. He wasn't much of a pilot, despite it in his blood. His father, uncle and even his namesake/grandfather Anakin Skywalker had been a great pilot. But he had a habit of crashing into walls or anything you can crash into when in space. He had always preferred working on ships than flying them. He had learnt how to fly, but he was just utterly terrible at it. But now piloting was calling to him; if he wanted to escape he likely would need to fly a TIE, as they only held two men at a time.

"Go. Go this way." FN whispered to them and they turned towards the stairs that accessed the TIE fighters. They crouched between the stairs and several crates.

"Okay, F...um, well you're with me," Poe said as they stayed low for the moment. "You okay in one by yourself kid?" Anakin pulled off his helmet and breathed heavily.

"Yeah, but just a warning, I will likely crash into you." Poe smiled. Anakin turned to look up at FN. "How do you guys breathe in these things?" He asked.

"Look for the com-unit inside your TIE," the ex-member of the First Order said. "We can stay in touch that way, though we'll have to be quick, they'll hear everything." FN nodded up to the control deck that was full of officers overseeing the hanger bay." FN turned to climb into the fighter Poe had picked out. Anakin climbed a few more steps and lowered himself into the cockpit of the one directly behind. He lowered himself into he seat and buckled up. He found the headset that linked to the com-unit and pulled it over his hair. He started the engines of the small fighter and com came to life.

" _TIE 7-4-2, explain your unauthorised start up."_ A voice buzzed over the com unit.

" _Ready Anakin?"_ He heard Poe's voice buzz through over the control deck which had finally discovered them.

"Yeah Poe, Let's get out of here." The two fighters rose from the their docking stations and made towards the exit. But both were pulled back suddenly by a strong force. Anakin feared for a second that Ren had come into the hanger to apprehend them, but he realized they were both still connected to the anchorage to keep TIE's safe when not in use.

" _I can fix this,"_ he heard Poe over the com. Officers were still breaking through the channel to tell them to sett he fighters back down or be shot down. Anakin looked about the cockpit frantically for anything that would disconnect him but found nothing. He put all force behind the thrusters and tugged, forcing the fighter away. With a great crack his tether released and he was able to shoot from the hanger, Poe and FN following closely behind.

"How do you work this thing?!" Anakin yelled down the com as his TIE shot off in different directions should he even flex the muscles in his hands. They certainly had some power behind them. He grabbed the toggles and tried desperately to gain control over the machine. He defiantly didn't enjoy piloting. As Poe and FN's ship struggled to get loose, their cannon's began to fire wildly, taking out the control centre as well as several other TIE's that were parked. Well, at least they didn't need to worry about those chasing after them.

Anakin managed to gain some control and zoomed off in the same direction as Poe, following close behind.

" _You okay back there kid? Okay, we need to take out as many of these cannons as we can. FN we'll leave that to you, right?"_

" _Got it!"_ FN-2187 said.

"Sorry but that name's a mouthful." Anakin said over the com as he served to avoid laser fire from the underbelly of the _Finalizer_.

" _Anakin's right. F-N, huh? Finn, how does Finn sound to you?"_ Anakin could almost hear Poe's grin through the com.

"Finn sounds good," Anakin said as he looked for the override switch to allow him to access the TIE's lasers since there wasn't a gunner in his ship.

" _Yeah, Finn!"_ FN, now Finn, said. _"I like it!"_

"Hate to break this up, but we've got ventral cannons on our trail here!" Anakin shouted as more laser fire from the flagship narrowly missed him. Finn snapped out of his appreciation of his new name and began to fire at the cannon's positioned underneath the ship. He locked on to one and the weapon burst into a million pieces.

"Whoa! Nice hit!" Anakin grinned as he heard Poe and Finn cheer over their end. Anakin looked out the cockpit viewport of his TIE at the vast stretch of space. A grin filtered onto his face. Adrenaline was coursing through his system at the narrow escape, at the sheer thrill of the adventure. He hadn't felt this good in so long. Finn managed to shoot out two more of the _Finalizer's_ cannon's before the two TIE's shot off, away from the ship. Anakin followed behind, letting Poe take the lead. From the looks of it they were heading back to Jakku – they couldn't leave without BB-8.

" _Wait, where are we going?"_ Finn said over the com upon seeing the direction Poe was piloting them in.

" _We're heading back to Jakku."_ Poe said.

"We've got a friend to pick up." Anakin chimed in as he shakily manoeuvred the fighter.

" _We cant go back to Jakku!"_ Finn protested. _"We need to get out of this system!"_ If it wasn't for BB-8 Anakin would have agreed. Kylo Ren could back to the planet to hunt them down himself, something he dreaded to think of. He didn't care for the map – Luke had left of his own accord. He somewhat resented the Jedi for his actions – separating him from the Force then disappearing. But Anakin remembered the feelings that drove him to run from the responsibilities and shut out the negative thoughts of his uncle. Anakin shook the thoughts from his head and returned to the argument Finn was having with going back to Jakku.

" _I got to get my droid before the First Order does."_

" _A droid? Seriously?"_

" _That's right, a BB unit. Orange and white, one of a kind."_ Poe spoke of his mechanical companion fondly.

" _I don't care what colour it is!"_ Finn cried. _"No droid could be that important!"_

" _This one is – he has a map that leads to Luke Skywalker."_ Poe confirmed. In the midst of their heated argument, none of them noticed the _Finalizer's_ emergency ventral cannon's come online.

" _Oh you've got to be kidding-"_ Finn started until-

"Look out!" Anakin cried as laser fire shot straight for them. The beam hit Poe and Finn and they violently juddered. In his shock, Anakin zoomed closer as the ship shuddered in space and the collided. The TIE's spiralled out of control as they entered the planet's atmosphere.

"POE! FINN!" Anakin cried over the com as they shot towards the planet surface, but the com was dead, there was nothing but static. Alarms blared and a red light flashed. Anakin screamed within the cockpit as he looked for something to help him, but the ship's right wing had been damaged and was affecting the engine. His belt buckle was tight, but he still tumbled around inside the small confinements. He glanced down besides his seat and saw a lever marked _'Evacuation'_. He held his breath, closed his eyes and tugged the lever. The ship continued to fall, but his seat shot from the TIE. Hot air smacked his face as he was jettisoned into Jakku's sunlight. The seat fell a few meters before a heavy tug indicated a parachute had been unleashed. He had been too close to the ground when he pulled the lever so the parachute shook heavily, before it collapsed and he fell to the ground, his vision going black and starts flashing before them.

"Kid? Kid! Anakin! Wake up!" A sharp slap hit his face and Anakin shot awake. Breathing heavily, his eyes were assaulted by a bright light. Slowly, they adjusted and he found himself half buried in sand, the black parachute in tatters and his TIE noticeable in the distance.

"What-" Anakin looked up and saw Finn's face. "...ok, that hurt." Anakin rubbed his skull as his brain bashed around inside. Finn helped him to his feet and he glanced around the sandy dunes, the hot air scraping his throat.

"Where's Poe?" He asked, rubbing his eyes. He could see no sign of the pilot around them. Then again, he couldn't see where Poe and Finn's fighter was. He turned back to Finn to see the man looking downcast and in his hand...Poe's jacket.

"No..."

"The TIE burnt and sunk...he wouldn't have made it..." Finn said, his voice low. Anakin turned away, his eyes stinging from more than the gritty sand that had got in them. He furiously ripped the pieces of the Stormtrooper armour off himself, leaving them discarded in the sand until he was back in just his cargo trousers, boots and undershirt, which had become filthy. He noticed some red specks on the shirt that looked like blood. He checked himself over for injury from the crash and found the newly made lightsaber wound had been ripped open. Blood was slowly oozing from it, but it hadn't torn too much. It was becoming irritated and worse as sand became trapped within. He hadn't gotten a chance for it to be treated. There was nothing he could do for it now, though.

"Come on, we need to find BB-8." Anakin turned back to Finn who still looked torn. Anakin reached up and patted him on the shoulder. "Come on, let's do it for Poe. This was his mission, we should complete it for him." Finn nodded and the two looked at their surroundings. "Any idea where we actually are?" Anakin asked.

"I think...Goazon Badlands. The village was...over there..." Finn pointed right. "Which way did the droid go from there?" He asked.

"I told him to go north."

"Then he's this way." Finn said and they set off on their trek through the dunes. They passed the remains of Anakin's TIE. The First Order would be upon them soon. They'd find this wreckage and try to determine which way they went. Anakin put more effort into his pace. He needed to find BB-8 and get him to the resistance. For Poe. It got him away from Kylo Ren as well. Once they reached the Resistance...he didn't know. Should he stay? He would certainly run into his family – his mother was the General for Force sake! She would certainly not let him leave so easily, and nether would his father. Maybe he should find the droid and let Finn return him. What good would he do the Resistance. He would just be a constant reminder of what trouble had caused them all.

These thoughts plagued Anakin for all the time they travelled. The two barely spoke, to save their energy and their throats the pain. They had become dreadfully parched, the Jakku sun casting over them. No shade, no supplies, no water. If they didn't reach a settlement soon they may not make it. Finn was currently wearing Poe's jacket to protect himself from the heat. The ex-Stormtrooper had given it to him originally, saying it would protect his wound for a while and he should take it, but the jacket served a reminder of the pilot he he felt he owed so much more to. Poe helped him more than once, helping save his life, yet the two had barely known each other. Anakin had told Finn to wear the jacket after he removed the pieces of his armour, and there had been no protest.

They climbed another dune of sand, the sun baking them alive – then they saw it. Far down the sloping sand was a small settlement.

"Finally." Anakin breathed. He and Finn shared a relieved grin before making their way down there. If BB-8 wasn't in this town, at least they may be able to rest for a while and find some water.

It took them just under an hour, but they reached the settlement and were both desperate for water. Finn and Anakin charged through stands of junk, looking for the refreshment, but there was nothing.

"Over there!" A small pool was out in the sunlight, currently being drunk from a large bulbous creature with a large snout. They raced over towards the aid. Anakin didn't care it was for animals, or what could be lurking in there. Instead he dunked his entire head in the water. It was filthy and tasted disgusting, but he needed it more than anything.

"Ugh!" Finn spat the water from his mouth, before the need for more over took him and his hands reached back in. The large creature besides them snorted happily in the water. Anakin pulled his head from the liquid, gasping for breath, his hair sopping wet, but feeling so much better. He wiped his face with his shirt. Had the water been cleaner he may have washed his wound, but something told him this water could make it worse.

Anakin glanced around the settlement they found themselves in – it was merely a jumble of tents selling junk. They must salvage it from crashed ships. He glanced around for any sign of BB-8 when he spotted the circular frame of an orange and white droid besides a tall human female, before the girl was attacked and they tried to shove BB-8 in a sack. Anakin hit Finn on the shoulder who looked around from the water to see what he had pointed at.

"BB-8!" Anakin cried and picked himself up. The girl was struggling against the two who intended to snatch the droid, but before and Finn reached them, she had managed to tackle and fend off both attackers single-handedly with a metal staff.

"Whoa." Anakin mutter under his breath, impressed as the girl salvaged BB-8 from under the sack. The little droid was bleeping away a thanks before the spherical turned and noticed them. The droid whistled loudly and rolled away from the girl towards him.

"Hey!" The girl cried and chased after the droid.

"BB-8!" Anakin cried and ran to the droid who bleeped happily upon seeing him. "I missed you buddy!" The girl approached cautiously as Anakin checked the droid over. BB-8 whistled happily before noticing Finn and blaring loudly, rolling over to the man and shocking him.

"OW!" Finn cried as the shock zapped his leg. "What the-" He was cut off as BB-8 shocked him again.

"Whoa, it's okay!" Anakin stated as the girl held her staff out towards Finn.

"Who are you thief?" She asked as BB-8 bleeped at Anakin.

"Poe's jacket -" Anakin said to a confused Finn. "He recognised it." He turned back to the little droid. "He helped us escape...but Poe didn't make it...we crashed..." Silence overtook them as BB-8 dome head lowered.

"You knew his master?" The girl asked, as Anakin nodded. BB-8 bleeped the confirmation and the girl lowered her staff from the both of them. "What do you mean escaped? Escape from what?" She said curiously. She stepped into the shade of one tarp and Anakin saw her face properly. It was weathered from the harsh conditions on Jakku, but still young and with eyes that seemed full of hope. He brown hair was pulled back in to several buns and those hope filled eyes watched them carefully.

"Captured. By the First Order." Finn said as Anakin placed a hand on BB-8. "I helped them both escape." BB-8 rolled away from them slightly as he contemplated the news of Poe's death.

"So you're both with the Resistance?" The girl asked, the wonder in her eyes sparkling and reaching her voice.

"Not exact-" Anakin's words were cut off as Finn covered his mouth with his hand.

"Obviously." Finn rose from the floor, "Yes we are. We're with the Resistance." He said in a proud whisper, his hand still covering Anakin's mouth until his teeth clamped down on the hand. "Ow!" Finn glared at him, shaking his hand as the girl looked at the both.

"I've never met Resistance fighters before." She said. Anakin grabbed a hold of Finn by the arm and brought him down to whisper in his ear.

"What are you doing? Resistance fighters? Us?" But Finn didn't answer as the girl had become immersed in the idea of the Resistance.

"BB-8 says he's on a secret mission and needs to get back to your base."

"Yeah. Apparently he's holding a map to Luke Skywalker." Finn muttered as he rubbed the spot where the little droid had zapped him.

"Luke Skywalker? I thought he was a myth?" The amazement was seeping in to her voice, but was cut short by BB-8's frantic bleeps.

"What is it?" Anakin asked as he ran over to the little droid to find the problem. BB-8 pointed out the last thing the needed. Two Stormtroopers were speaking to a local - and they pointed in their direction.

"Run." Anakin heard himself say, without realizing it. He charged off with BB-8 at his heels, Finn pulling the girl along with them by her hand.

"Let go of me!" She yelled above the sound of blaster fire. Dust and debris flew around them as the Stormtroopers aimed and missed.

"Come on!" Finn yelled. "Come on BB-8, hurry!"

"I know how to run without you holding my hand!" The girl snarled as they ducked inside a tent. Finn began furiously searching for a weapon. He threw things around as Anakin and the girl caught their breath.

"They're shooting at all of us," she gasped between breaths.

"Sorry, you're marked now." Anakin said as he clutched his chest.

"Oh thanks for that," She said sarcastically as Finn yelled for a blaster. "Your arm!" The girl cried at seeing the ruined skin.

"Not now, it's fine." Anakin lied as Finn shushed them. They listened over their heavily beating hearts to hear the sounds of approaching TIE fighters.

"Oh no. Not again." Anakin sighed as they rushed from the tent, the muscles in their legs burning as they raced through the outpost as fast they could.

"Stop taking my hand!" Anakin looked and saw Finn had grabbed the girl's hand again, refusing to let her go.

"Come on! Keep going!" Anakin cried as they pushed their way through the crowds as laser fire rained down upon the outpost, destroying the salvaged parts and the small community. Heavy fire destroyed the land just behind their feet and the group flew through the air and landed in the heavy dust, coughing. "Finn? BB-8?" Anakin cried as he pulled himself up from some rubble. His eyes searched and found the girl rushing over to Finn, who was flat on his back.

"You okay?" She asked him before he nodded quickly. This time she allowed him to grasp her hand. She clasped her other hand around Anakin's as she slung her staff over her shoulders and they ran, and didn't stop running.

"Okay there BB-8?" Anakin looked back at the droid who rolled as fast as he could behind them. The droid bleeped a positive. Anakin felt as if his legs were close to breaking and his lungs to bursting. He had never run so fast in his entire life. They reached the outskirts of the outpost and ran out into the desert.

"Are you crazy?!" He shouted to the girl. "Out in the open? We'll never out run those TIE's!" He screamed to her as one shot over head.

"We might in that quad-jumper!" She pointed outwards to where a hunk of scrap metal she wanted to call a quad-jumper sat. It was bleached by the sunlight and didn't look very fast.

"In that piece of junk?" Anakin called out in disbelief as the TIE's rained more laser fire upon them

"What about that ship?" Finn asked as they ran. Anakin just continued running towards the quad-jumper. Maybe they could get the junk to work.

"That one's garbage!" She yelled – as she did, the quad-jumper burst into flames. Anakin stumbled to a stop in his tracks at the ruins.

"How about this garbage then?" He yelled and turned to run in the direction Finn was going. For a second time he came to a stop, not hearing the overbearing TIE's as he looked at the 'garbage'. What was it doing here – here of all places? Were they here? He didn't have time to contemplate as the girl looked back and quickly grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the ship that sat abandoned on the outskirts of the outpost.

To the eye, the _Millennium Falcon_ did look like garbage, but Anakin, upon seeing the old ship from his childhood, knew they stood a chance on outrunning the First Order.

 **So thanks for reading this far if you didn't die from boredom. For some reason I keep picturing Andrew Garfield as Anakin, I don't really know why…I'll hopefully get a chance to update some point next week as we finally meet up with Han and Chewie, but until then have a good one :D**


	7. Pilot

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **So I've managed to slot in one of my regular updates. I really ought to do the homework I've been putting off...oh well, this is more fun :) thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter guys, some really interesting idea's about Anakin and his fever, which I might have started off in here. As for someone's question on Anakin building his own lightsaber, he'll have to soon since his old one was left aboard the _Finalizer_. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy this chapter with a very special due guest appearance at the end! **

The ramp to the _Millennium Falcon_ was already descended. The dust of Jakku had settled on the ship, and it seemed scruffier than ever. Though Anakin did not have the chance to closely examine the ship as the three of them plus BB-8 pounded on board the ship. Anakin turned on instinct and hit the panel that retracted the ramp once they were aboard.

"How'd you know to press that?!" The girl asked in awe as he began activating switches along the ship's interior to activate the lights.

"Is now really a good time to be asking questions?" Anakin said as a heavy blast of fire hit the ground close to the ship, causing them to judder. "C'mon!" The three raced along the corridor and Anakin pointed to a ladder leading downwards. "Gunner position – quick!" Thankfully neither questioned his in-depth knowledge of the ship's sections, as Finn descended the ladder and he and the girl raced into the cockpit. She planted herself in the pilots seat. He was grateful for that small mercy – he had done enough piloting recently.

"Have you ever flown this thing, or anything like it?" They heard Finn call.

"Nobody's flown this old crate in years!" The girl called as she watched Anakin activate the console, lights beginning to flicker.

"Not flown in – where's the owner?" Anakin asked as the girl began a pre-lift sequence.

"I don't know – it belongs to Unkar Plutt right now."

"By hell it does!" Anakin exclaimed, turning the dial on an instrumentation. "He wouldn't have let this ship go so easily."

The girl turned to look at him curiously as her hand hovered over a panel of switches, her curiosity at his knowledge of the ship burning in her eyes, but Finn's shout cut the glance off. "Um, can we delve into it's history later – I'd rather get out of here, like, now!" They both turned back to the console. It was battered and bruised, more so than any of them. Anakin muttered under his breath. This ship was faster than she looked and he hoped the _Falcon_ had it in her for one last good take off.

"We'd go if I could get this bucket of bolts to work!" The girl cried angrily as she pressed buttons, flicked switches, but the console had yet to activate fully, just blink innocently. Anakin reached and gave a good kick to a component before twisting a dial with all his strength, pulling a lever with his other arm, trying not to let the agitation of the lightsaber wound affect his strength. The engines began to whir to life. Anakin thought he'd never hear those sounds that had lulled him to sleep so many times ever again. The girl's eyes widened and looked at him.

"How'd you do that?" She asked in awe.

"Never mind that now! Go already!" He yelled and the girl moved the ship upright. The sequence was complete and the ship rose, shedding the tarps that lazily protected it from the sun's harsh exterior. The ship turned sharply, nearly crashing back to the ground as it did. As they struggled to get the ship to stabilize, they grazed the town's entry archway, the only good piece of architecture. Below, Anakin could see a fat creature covered in metal plates angrily shake his fist as they rose higher and higher.

"Come on you wonderful piece of junk!" Anakin cried in joy, a fantastic smile spreading across his face – much to the girl's concern – as she manoeuvred them across the dunes, clipping the sand before they began to reach altitude.

"Stay low!" Finn called down from the gunnery. "It confuses their scanners!" The girl nodded and Anakin turned in the co-pilot's seat and activated the ship's exterior shields – without them those TIE's would take them out in minutes. With Anakin acting as co-pilot, it made the position much smoother as the girl focused on steering across the sand dunes she clearly knew well as he maintained the shield's and kept the console under control. The TIE's were hot on their trail, sharp turns and spins couldn't shake them. Below, the green laser fire of the _Falcon's_ cannon aimed skywards to the approaching black fighter's.

"BB-8, hold on!" The girl cried as the ship rolled mid-air, the metal clank of BB-8's metal spherical body could be heard rolling around as the little droid bleeped violent curses in binary that made Anakin cringe.

"I'm going low!" She called out, working on Finn's advice as she lowered the ship dangerously close to the ground, particles of sand disrupted behind them as they semi-skimmed the grit. She pulled up at the last possible moment that sent them screaming forwards in the violent manoeuvre. The TIE's weren't ready for the sudden change in height and shot past, unable to slow down in time. But in retaliation, their weapons rained heavy fire in their direction. The blasts hit the ship, but thankfully the shields absorbed most of the shock – the old rust bucket was stronger than it looked.

"YES!" Anakin cried in joy, thankful for all the modifications Han Solo had added to the ship that made it so robust – granted most of these modifications were illegal on most systems and could lead to imprisonment, but it became worthwhile. He pulled on a lever and rerouted most power to the rear shield's as the TIE's struggled to keep up.

"We could use some defence, you know!" The girl called down to Finn.

"Working on it!" Several blaster shots zoomed out as more detonation rocked the ship. Anakin kept his eye on the shield scopes and maintained the power as more heavy fire hit them. Their shield power was decreasing, and would fail them soon if they didn't take out at least one fighter for now. Finn continued to blast at the TIE's, but the pilots were exceptionally good.

"We need cover!" He called.

"Working on it," She responded as she directed the ship in a way she seemed most familiar with. It seemed to be a graveyard for battleships. Star Destroyers littered the land, scavenged of anything remotely useful. They willed the ship a little further under the heavy fire. Anakin realised she was heading directly for the side of a Star Destroyer.

"Wait, what are you-" Anakin was cut short as she banked the ship hard, making Anakin grateful for the safety belts around his waist and his empty stomach. They cut a crease in the sand and under wild fire from Finn, the beams managed to cross one of the TIE's, which burst into flames and was downed, scavenged for parts as soon as it hit the sand – none of the scavengers caring to check the pilot's life signs.

" _Whoooo!"_ Finn let out a triumphant shout as he continued to fire, not to end the winning streak.

"Nice shot!" Anakin's voice travelled into the gunnery as they continued to skim the sand. The girl continued to snake the ship around the dismembered parts as the one remaining TIE stayed on their trail, BB-8 continuing to roll around the ship's curved archways as they stuck to the plan of unpredictable movements along the wrecked ships. The fighter wasn't giving up. Despite Finn's merciless efforts to hit the ship, the TIE's next blast came too close, striking the side of the ship and Anakin heard the sound of the gears below in the gunnery come to a halt, jammed from the blast.

"Gun's are locked in forward position – you need to lose that fighter!" Finn cried.

"Don't worry – this old thing still has some tricks left, we'll do it!" Anakin called out as they took another sharp turn, narrowly missing some heavy fire that might have taken out their shield's should it have hit them directly. It may be a strong ship, but it was only a freighter, not a Super Star Destroyer warship.

Ahead of them lay the remains of the largest ship in the graveyard, and they were aiming directly at it. Anakin's head turned slowly to look at the daring face of the girl. She wouldn't, surely? But she did. Instead of an old fashioned trick to pull up at the last second, the ship continued into the broken skin of the Destroyer, following the blasted hole throughout the hulk. You had to admire her guts.

"Are we really doing this?" Finn called out, but they ignored him, Anakin keeping a steady hand on levers designated across the blinking console. They trailed within the innards of the ship, scraping along shrapnel that would certainly leave dents. The TIE was persistent, despite the pilot not knowing the trail as well as theirs seemed to. Anakin held his breath, wiping sweat from his brow and clenching his stomach as sparks flared from their ship's sides, the passage becoming more narrow the farther they went.

"Get ready!" The girl called downwards towards Finn.

"Wait – ready for what?" Finn called back, but she didn't respond. Anakin felt right as he gripped the edges of his seat. He looked out of the cockpit's entrance and saw BB-8 was holding himself in place with mechanical arms that expanded from various access ports. He sent the droid a small grin as the passage became even narrower and they shot out like a bolt from a blaster into the bright sunlight.

"Cut the power!" The girl snapped as they flew from the Destroyer's confinements. Not having a chance to contemplate why, Anakin cut the engine's power, leaving everything manual and they fell towards the ground, gravity grasping a hold as they began to front-face the dunes. The TIE shot out only a nano-second later, but as they fell towards the ground it felt like a life-cycle. The TIE didn't expect this and it's firing missed them by meters – but Finn's one shot didn't. As the ship fell forwards, the jammed guns were positioned perfectly and Finn's trigger finger acted instantly and the TIE became flaming shrapnel in the sky, bombing towards the ground as Anakin pulled the lever and power returned to the main engines, the ship thrust back towards the sky light.

With the threat gone, they accelerated towards the sky, it became darker as they shot from the atmosphere and the _Millennium Falcon_ soared beyond the stars once more.

They switched on the auto-pilot and relished in their tight escape. The girl turned to look at Anakin and the pair could not help but burst into bouts of nervous laughter at the miracle of their escape. Their laughter became louder until they heard Finn call up as he left the gunnery. They left their seats and ran into the lounge area where Finn rushed towards the pair and the three embraced, laughing and congratulating each other. BB-8 let loose the mechanical arms that held him in place and rolled over, bleeping in a fashion that gave the droid the sound of relief.

"Great shot!" Anakin reached and patted Finn on the shoulder, the ex-trooper beaming happily.

"It was your flying that did it," He said to the girl, who grinned brighter than the Jakku sun. She turned to look at Anakin.

"How'd you even know how to work this ship like that? It hasn't moved in years, just collected dust." Anakin felt his face redden and turn away. The pair were looking at him curiously.

"I...I've been on this ship before." He murmured, looking around the lounge properly for the first time in years. How had this thing even ended up on Jakku?

"You know, I don't know either of your names." The girl spoke, as if noticing Anakin wasn't going to divulge much more.

"I'm FN-2...I mean Finn. I'm Finn." Finn introduced himself, stumbling over his old title, but thankfully the girl didn't notice.

"I'm Rey." She said simply.

"Anakin, Anakin Solo." He said, examining a scorch mark in the bulk of the ship. He didn't realise the slip up of his surname until it was too late. Being aboard this ship had let him slide into a form he hadn't been in for years – able to say his name without a blaster pointed at his head. Finn was looking at him with narrowed eyes, whilst Rey looked curious.

"Solo? Like-" She started but a jet of sprang from beneath the grated floor of the lounge hissing loudly. Rey and Finn rushed over, hauling back the access panel, whilst Anakin rolled his eyes. Right now, he felt light headed and rather woozy, not caring about the steam. The ship had always been on the verge of falling apart. He glanced down to the wound on his arm, the whole limb seemingly numb all of a sudden.

"Help me with this!" Rey said as she reached in and began to examine the damage. Hopefully it wasn't the motivator, otherwise the ship would finish off what the First Order started. As Rey and Finn tried to find the fault, Anakin stumbled over to where the med-kit should be stationed, just above the curving seat and the table. He reached up and opened the cabinet. It was rather bare – no antiseptics, nothing to fight an infection, as it seemed was one developing. The wound was crusted with sand from Jakku and Force knew what else. He had nothing to clean it with, all he could do was wrap it up to avoid anything else getting in there. He closed the station and collapsed upon the curving couch of the lounge, loosely wrapping his arm. The bandage wasn't tight enough and showed gaps, but he felt a fire burning in his stomach that drained his energy. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He heard a quiet bleep and saw BB-8 watching him carefully. He gave the droid a small smile.

"I'm okay." He whispered. "Just tired." BB-8's dome head tilted to the side, as if to question his statement, but Rey's head popping up from the hatch distracted the little droid, which he was grateful for.

"It's the motivator," She said to Finn who was on the ground near the hatch. "Hand me that Harris wrench." She said and Finn passed over the tool.

"How bad is it?" Finn asked.

"If we want to live – then not good." Rey said, but Anakin chuckled. The two looked at him like he was delirious, which he probably was as he seemed to be developing a fever of some sort. Something more than Stormtroopers had disagreed with him on Jakku.

"It's always done that." He said glancing about the room. He didn't notice Rey and Finn shared concerned looks. Rey disappeared once again to use the wrench before popping back up.

"BB-8 says the location of your base is 'need to know'. If I'm taking you there I need to know." All the colour drained from Finn's face. Anakin watched through bleary eyes as he beckoned the droid closer.

"You gotta tell me where your base is." He said to the droid, who was confused by this man who had claimed to be apart of the Resistance, until Finn confined in the little droid that he was only running from the First Order, and not actually apart of the Resistance. The droid let out a shriek-like bleep before rounding on Anakin who shrugged, his limbs heavy and droopy.

"What? I never said he was or wasn't part of the Resistance." He said, his voice weak. The little droid bleeped violently at him and Anakin rolled his eyes.

"Oh switch off." He grumbled as he rose to his feet, wavering slightly. BB-8 beeped up at him, concern in the binary tone, but he ignored the droid.

"Where are you going?" Rey demanded as he wandered towards the back of the ship. He said nothing in return. He heard BB-8 decide to side with Finn and tell Rey the base was in the Ileenium system. So that's where they were now. He hadn't heard from anyone from the Resistance in around five years, so they would have moved base a thousand times by now. Last thing he heard they were grouped near Yavin 4, a memorable sight from the battle against the first dreaded Death Star. He stumbled through the corridors of the ship, remembering so much of his time in here, from playing games with his brother, to watching his father tinker with the ship's insides.

Before he knows it, he's reached the closed door to the crew quarters. There wasn't much space, but one room had housed him and his brother when they spent their younger years on-board. His hand hovered over the access panel that would open the door. He hesitated at the idea of seeing the room, but before he could even fathom opening the door, the power within the ship disappeared.

"Anakin? What's going on?" Some sense seemed to seep back into his head, though he still felt flimsy. He stumbled towards the cockpit where Finn and Rey were trying to gain power. The console was dead. It was dead and they were floating in space with no console – they weren't going anywhere soon.

"Can you do something?" Finn asked him as he flicked some switches. No emergency power, no backup, no indication as to what had drained them. Only when a red light crawled into the room via the viewport did they all realise.

"Someone's locked onto us – drained the power. We're going nowhere." Anakin said, slumping into his seat. Was it the First Order? If so they were doomed. They had come so far – gone through so much in the short space of time, now Imperial troopers would board. Would Ren risk taking him prisoner again? Or would he simply kill him since he had refused the offer? He supposed he'd find out.

"It's the First Order." Finn confirmed through heavy breathing. Anakin leaned back in the seat behind the co-pilot, his eyes squeezed shut. _This is it._

"There's got to be something we can do." Rey said, desperately toggling the controls in hope the console would re-boot.

"You said poisonous gas, right?" Finn asked Rey in desperate hope. Anakin slowly opened his eyes, curious at what the man's idea may be.

"I fixed that."

"Can you unfix it?" The sounds of the ship being forcibly docked into the larger ship echoed and they all looked up in fear. They glanced at each other before rushing off towards the access hatch where Rey had been working mere moments ago. As they rushed forth, Anakin opened up the safety station and threw a protective mask to each of them, which were stocked in the ship in case of lost artificial air.

"C'mon! Hurry!" Rey said frantically as Anakin and Finn lowered themselves into the small pit. She helped them try to lower BB-8 into the hatch, but the droid was heavier than he looked, and Finn fell backwards, squashing Anakin against the floor.

"Get off!" He said as the main generator of the ship was switched back on. Rey began to pull the hatch lid back over their heads before crouching down to examine her work.

"Do you think this'll work on the Stormtroopers?" She asked fearfully.

"Yeah, their masks filter out smoke, not toxins." Rey looked at up him curiously as Finn peeked through the hatch, before glancing at Anakin.

"He knows his enemy." He shrugged. It was the best he could quickly think of for Finn's Stormtrooper knowledge. Anakin glanced up when he heard the clang of the _Falcon_ 's ramp being forcibly lowered. What would Ren do with the ship once he had finished them off? Anakin closed his eyes and signed into his mask – he would likely destroy it, like he did with anything else that proved him emotionally unstable. Finn shot back down and Anakin heard the door of the ship open, along with the sound of heavy footsteps. This was it – it was all over. Their escape had been pointless. Anakin's eyes watched for any sign of life through the small square grates. He heard the voice of a man that was muffled, followed by the sound of...a Wookie?

 _Wait...it wasn't…_

He stepped backwards half a step in their small confinements, knocking into Rey who dropped her wrench with a loud clatter. Ice over took them all as they knew they'd been heard. The footsteps got closer and the hatch was ripped open and they were greeted by the business end of a blaster.

Han Solo had aged in the years Anakin hadn't seen his father. His once dark brown hair had begun turning grey and his face was weathered from the exploration of the galaxy more than ever. He stared down at all of them, accomplished by his trusted co-pilot of many years, Chewbacca, his trademark bowcaster in his hands. The three of them cowered together in the corner of the hatch, BB-8 whimpering next to their legs. Solo's eyes travelled over all of them briefly, not taking in their faces but counting. He didn't look twice at Anakin. He tried not to let the hurt sink in his stomach then it struck him – he wasn't recognised. His father hadn't seen him since he was merely nine years old and battle-worn. Now he was over a head taller at fifteen and looking worse for ware after their little adventure.

"Where are the others?" Solo demanded, the blaster still pointing at them. Anakin lowered his head as his father didn't recognise him. But something told him Chewbacca's dark eyes hadn't left him since he spotted him. "Where's the pilot?"

"I'm the pilot," Rey stumbled over her words, stunned for a moment.

" _You?"_ Solo said in disbelief. Chewie growled his disbelief.

"No it's true -we're the only one's on-board."

"You can understand that thing?" Finn asked in shock as he stared up at Chewie, clearly never having seen a Wookie before.

"And that 'thing' can understand you too." Solo spat. Chewie growled again and Solo's head whipped around to his companion. Anakin gulped.

"What did you just say?" Solo said as his eyes cast back into the hatch. Anakin understood Chewie's words, as did Rey. Han Solo took them in one by one, until he reached Anakin's face, and the blaster was slowly lowered. Chewie growled again and Rey's head turned to look at Anakin in disbelief. Finn was still oblivious, but Rey understood. She understood the Wookie telling Han Solo that he, Anakin, looked like his son. Anakin slowly raised his head and looked up into the eyes of his father for the first time in years. Han Solo had seen so much, but Anakin had never seen the man's eyes go so wide in his whole life.

"You. Out of there. All of you." The three clambered out of the hatch. Anakin tried to stand behind Finn and Rey, but it was pointless – he was recognised. Chewie pushed him forwards in front of Han with the end of his bowcaster. Han Solo stepped up to him slowly and removed the oxygen mask that was still hanging off his son's face. Hazel eyes peered into hazel and Anakin slowly looked up to face the man.

"Anakin?" Han murmured quietly, as if not quite sure he was actually there. Anakin raised his head a little higher.

"Hey...Dad."

 **Thanks for reading guys, and don't forget to review! See you next time :D**


	8. Remebrance

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **Hey guys! Pretty late update, since I've actually been doing my homework for once – yeah this is more fun. So a lot of you were waiting to see the interaction with Han and Anakin. Well here it is! I hope you enjoy it! And also, in response to the guest review, I really like the idea of Anakin having a silver blade – it is really ironic. I may try that idea when I come to have Anakin build his own lightsaber. But until then, I hope you all like this one :)**

 _Han Solo relished in his moments of peace upon the roof of his prized ship, the_ Millennium Falcon. _When he couldn't sleep, tinkering with the ship was the best thing for him. The hanger bay was relatively quiet, with it being the middle of the night cycle on the planet the Republic had asked Leia to attend to address a rising issue. A new threat was rising. A group named the First Order. Fanatics of the days of the Empire. They saw the galaxy as something to be controlled under the thumb of the First Order and whomever was their leader. Han shook his head as he wiped his hands on an old oil rag. The galaxy couldn't sit still for five minutes. It seemed only moments ago the new Republic had begun to form and tried to restore democracy. Han just hoped these fanatics could be stamped out before they lit a much larger flame. The idea of another war froze his insides. This wasn't like before. At the start he had been a smuggler, not caring what happened to the galaxy as long as he could continue his business and make enough credits. But now he had Leia. Now he had a family. And he would protect them until his last breath if need be._

" _What are you doing, Daddy?" A small voice shook him out of his stupor. Han looked to his right to see a small dark head poking out of the access port that led inside the ship. The small four year old was sucking his thumb and watching him intently. For four, his youngest son was very alert to his surroundings. Han supposed Anakin got it from him – as when he was that young he could pick out anyone on Correllia that might spare him some credits as he begged on the streets. It was the mother's. They always would spare the starving young boy some credits for food. But that wasn't the life for either of his sons. Han smiled and opened his arms. The small boy climbed out fully onto the roof of the ship and padded over in his footed pyjamas. Han picked his son up around the middle and let the boy peer into the opened shaft of the Falcon where he was trying to find an overheating error._

" _The_ Falcon _isn't feeling too good, buddy. I'm trying to find out what's up with her." Han smiled as his son patted the side of the ship in an attempt to make it better. The innocence of his children never ceased to amaze him._

" _You can fix it, can't you?" Anakin's eyes looked straight up at him. "You can fix anything." The small boy beamed and Han pulled the boy closer as he sat on the side of the ship, his legs swinging lightly as he savoured the moment with his youngest._

" _You bet I can. And why are you awake? Your mother said you were asleep hours ago." Han asked as the boy buried his face in his shirt._

" _I had a really, really bad dream."_

" _What about?" Han asked curiously, wondering what he would have to say to make the boy feel safe again. Leia was better that this sort of thing. Normally Anakin, or Ben when he was younger, would seek out their mother over him. Just a natural instinct, he had supposed._

" _You." Han's eyebrow rose. Why would a dream of him be bad? "And someone else – they looked like Ben...but really tall." The small boy stretched out his arms in an exaggeration._

" _Really? What happened?" Han asked, wondering if this was one of those dreams Luke had warned him about. Young Force-sensetive children were susceptible to dreams, dreams of things to come, things that had passed. They terrified Han. To think his children saw terrible things that were to come scared him more than anything. He and Leia had spent many nights calming Ben down after terrifying dreams. Now it seemed Anakin was going down that path too. But it had been about him – and Ben by the sounds of it._

" _I don't remember." Anakin said as he buried closer to his father, seeking comfort. "I woke up, but it was really scary. I don't want to go back to sleep. Not without Ben." Han rested his chin in his son's hair. Since Ben had left to train with Luke, the brothers didn't see so much of one another now. He'd be back soon, but the two had always clung to each other. A bond that was unseeable connected them. They sensed each other's emotions, always there in the back of their minds._

" _Well the dreams won't bother you now," Han said, squeezing his arm around his son. "We can escape them in the_ Falcon _. Just fly away from it all. Run."_

" _Really?" Anakin asked._

" _Really. I'll look after you, don't you worry." He smiled at the boy, who seemed to visibly relax now, as he wrapped arms around his father's neck. "Come on, back to bed."_

" _No!" Anakin's eyes widened and Han sighed – that look always worked on him. Leia didn't buy it. She doted on both the boys but she knew when bedtime was, and when to eat their dinner. Han would let them get away with murder if they pulled the big-eyed trick._

" _Okay buddy, you don't have to. Tell you what, Uncle Chewie is sleeping, so you can help me patch up the_ Falcon. _"_

 _Anakin beamed. "Yeah!"_

" _Just don't tell your mother." Han grinned and showed his son all the components. He didn't dumb it down for the child. He explained everything in a wealth of detail and answered any questions the boy had on the mechanics. By the time the sun slowly rose on the planet, Han lay out flat atop the ship, his son curled up on his chest, having finally fallen asleep, clutching a wrench as Han ran his hand through the boy's hair._

Han Solo didn't dwell on the past on a regular basis. But that memory stuck out more than anything in his mind. There were many that did, but when it concerned his youngest son, that memory was key. And he would never forget. But the person standing before him, that couldn't really be the small boy that had seeked him out after a nightmare? How could it?

Anakin hadn't been sure what to expect on the chance he and Han Solo crossed paths again. He had imagined it before. Running from everything gave you time to think. Too much time. Had envisioned many possible scenarios. Han rejecting him, hugging him, etc. Many ideas came to a ten year old child's mind on their first Life-Day alone. Too afraid to go home. Solo stared into Anakin's eyes, the blaster remaining in his hand.

"Anakin?" Han murmured quietly, as if not quite sure he was actually there. Anakin raised his head a little higher.

"Hey...Dad." Anakin didn't feel the shocked gaze of Rey or Finn in the back of his skull. He didn't hear Chewie's small growls, nor BB-8's curious little bleep. The silence was overwhelming for Anakin. And it seemed that way for the elder Solo as well, as it was broken suddenly by the man pushing the boy up against the wall of the ship forcefully.

Rey made a noise of protest but it was drowned out by Chewie's growl as Han and Anakin continued to stare at one another.

"Six years." Han Solo finally spoke, swallowing the audible lump in his throat. A whisper that was barely heard. But held a strong danger than a lot of men may have run from. "Six years and...nothing. Nothing from you, Anakin. Nothing!" His voice was raising higher now. His weathered hands clasped the boy's shoulder's and couldn't help but shake the boy. "Nothing! We thought you were dead! You stupid, stupid boy! Do you have any idea what we've been through? Do you? What you put your mother through? What you put _me_ through? Not knowing where you were, or what had happened. Just...gone." Han's face was up close now, as if still checking each feature of Anakin's face, as if he could see past the skin and read the boy's mind, to confirm his identity. Han stilled his shaking hands as Anakin stared wide eyed. Han had never laid a finger on either of his children, and promised himself he never would. He breathed heavily and tugged on the boy's arms, bringing him closer to him as he wrapped his arms around the skinny frame. He had promised to protect this boy, both of his boys, with his life from the day he held each small infant. But he had lost sight. He had failed one, and had felt so close to failing the second. But here – he was here, right in his father's arms where he belonged.

Anakin hesitated a moment, but everything flooded at once. The loneliness, the fear, the desire to return home so many times. It all took over and his arms pulled on the older man's jacket, fingers sinking into the broken leather, refusing to let go as if he would sink into an abyss should he let go. Han's hand clung to the boy's hair as Anakin's face buried in his neck. It was as if he had never been gone, as if he had never left.

"Dad." He whispered into the brown jacket, his eyes squeezed shut. Han's grip around him tightened.

"It's alright now. It's going to be alright." Han said back before slowly pulling back to examine the grown boy. "I hardly recognise you." His eyes were wide. Anakin lowered his head, casting a sideways glance to where Finn and Rey stood with BB-8. Chewie growled in a concerned manner to Han, who smiled. A real smile. A smile Anakin had only seen when he was younger and his father sat behind this very ship's controls.

"You were right Chewie. Damn your not going to let me forget that." Han grumbled with a smile. The Wookie stepped up and Anakin threw his arms around the tall creature. Many a times had he spent with the Wookie he had called Uncle his whole life, sitting upon the tall Wookie's shoulder's. The Wookie had even let him use his Bowcaster when he was eight. The blast had knocked him off his feet, but Chewie had helped him through it. When Anakin pulled from Chewie's embrace, Han threw his arm around his shoulder's as if he were to suddenly evaporate into thin air. The older man took a deep breath as he looked about the ship.

"Where did you find the old girl?" Han asked as he ran his free hand over the archway.

"We found it...on Jakku."

"Jakku?" Han said, disgruntled. "Who had it, Ducain?" Anakin had no idea who 'Ducain' was. He looked over to Rey.

"We stole it, in Niima Outpost. From Unkar Plutt. He stole it from the Irving Boys, who stole it from Ducain." Rey said, her eyes travelling between the pair of them.

"Who stole it from _me_." Han said as he began walking towards the cockpit of the ship, a tight grip around Anakin's shoulder's the whole way. "So you can tell him that Han Solo stole back the _Millennium Falcon_. For good."

"This is the _Millennium Falcon_?" Rey gasped, her eyes wide in excitement. "You _are_ Han Solo!" She looked at Anakin, who busied himself with scratching his nose. Han grinned this time, rather than smile. It was a mixture of amusement, but also bitterness.

"I used to be." He said before turning and wandering into the cockpit, Anakin standing besides the doorway as he watched his father glance fondly about the ship.

"This is the ship that did the Kessel run in fourteen parsecs!" Rey exclaimed and Anakin grimaced. Some got that fact wrong.

"Twelve!" Han corrected her loudly, muttering 'fourteen' under his breath as the two stepped into the cockpit. "I never expected to be able to find it again." Han said, glancing around as he did. "Luck had it we were sweeping the area. And to find you aboard too...I never expected..." Anakin wasn't sure if Han was talking to him or himself. Anakin glanced back towards the lounge area and could hear Rey and Finn discussing the infamous Han Solo – smuggler, Rebellion General, star pilot.

"Why did you go?" Han said quietly, his eyes turning to glance in Anakin's direction. The boy watched as Han took him in for a second time. He didn't say anything. Instead, despite him wanting to stay as close to Han as he could, he slowly stepped back into the lounge, where Rey and Finn immediately looked at him.

"When you said Solo – I remembered the name but I never believed that..." Rey began. "Are you okay?" She asked. He nodded slowly.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Anakin said, his throat dry. Rey's brow wrinkled.

"Your father – whoever he is – he said you were gone... _for six years._ I thought you were with the Resistance? Wouldn't he be there too? I mean, he was with the Rebellion, wasn't he?" She asked, starting to piece things slowly together.

Anakin froze on the spot. His eyes met Finn's, who looked at him in fear with a silent plea in them. "I...I never really said _I_ was with the Resistance. I just knew Poe. The Resistance pilot. I haven't been with them in several years…." Chewie growled in the background, not sure of what was going on. Finn closed his eyes and tried to steer the conversation away from the topic of them being Resistance members before Rey could question him.

"You sure you're okay kid?" Finn asked as he steered Rey's attention away. Anakin felt as if he didn't have the strength to move his jaw again, so merely nodded. Chewie growled from his place on the sidelines and Anakin gave him a wan smile.

"It's good to see you too, Chewie." He said quietly. Truth be told his head was spinning. He wanted to lie down somewhere quiet. It had been a...emotional couple of days.

"Hey!" Han's voice called out angrily as the man strode back into the lounge. "Some moof-milker installed a compressor on the ignition line." Han said. The man only preferred the modifications he made to the ship – and certainly not that of someone who stole his beloved ship.

"Unkar Plutt did," Rey said. Anakin watched Finn staring at her as she spoke. "I thought it was a mistake too. It's too much pressure on the Hyperdrive."

"...pressure on the Hyperdrive." Han echoed Rey's words and the two watched.

"Okay then..." Anakin muttered under his breath as Chewie placed one huge hairy paw/hand on his head.

"Chewie, put these two in a pod, we'll drop them off at the nearest inhabited planet. And as for you-" he turned to Anakin. "You. You're coming back with me. When your mother finds out..." The man trailed off, closing the finger he had been pointing before heading back towards the cockpit.

"Wait!" Rey said. "We need your help."

" _My_ help?" Han asked, his brow wrinkling.

"The droid needs to get to the nearest Resistance base," Rey spoke, holding her ground as she indicated to BB-8 who bleeped innocently from behind Anakin's legs. Han shook his head and continued on his way.

"He's carrying a map to Luke Skywalker." Finn finished and Han stopped in his tracks. Anakin watched as he slowly turned back to face them. A strange look filtered over Han's face at the mention of his friend and brother-in-law.

"You are the Han Solo that fought with the Rebellion." Finn stated more than asked. "You knew him." 

"Knew him?" The look in Han's eyes had gone momentarily hazy. "Yeah...I knew Luke. We both did." Han glanced at Anakin. Before Rey could say anything else, there was a loud and heavy _thunk_ from within the freighter the _Falcon_ had been pulled into.

"Oh don't tell me a Rathtar's gotten loose." Han grumbled under his breath. Anakin felt his stomach drop. Rathtar's? Did he really just say Rathtar's? He wasn't really hauling those beasts was he?

"Wait-what?" Finn asked as they scrambled down the ramp after Han and Chewie, BB-8 bringing up the rear. Han glanced back and grabbed Anakin's shoulder, keeping the boy close to his side. As he did, Han noticed the badly banged arm on his son's left arm. He stopped in his tracks and tried to take the arm gently in his hands, but Anakin snatched the arm away. He didn't need him to see that – to know who did it.

"What happened to him?" Han retorted to Finn and Rey who both blinked at the sudden change in tone.

"It wasn't them. Leave it." Anakin grumbled as he walked across the hanger bay.

"It was the First Order." Finn said it. He said the words. It wasn't a difficult leap for Han. Kylo Ren. Anakin saw the man's face pale slightly. Dare he say he saw a slight shake in the man's hand? But another tremendous _thunk_ dragged their thoughts away. Han side stepped towards a viewing monitor, glancing down at Anakin's arm as he went, before meeting the boy's eyes, a pain in his own eyes that Anakin himself had recently gotten to know. He didn't meet his father's eyes. _Thunk_ again.

"Your not actually hauling Rathtar's, right?" Finn asked, fear dripping from his voice. Han just fiddled with the controls of the monitor.

"Great – it's the Guavian Death Gang." Anakin's ears pricked. He had heard of that gang before. More than heard of them, actually. They didn't call themselves Bounty Hunters so much, more like investors. Investors who could hold a serious grudge and would hunt down anyone who didn't pay up what they owed. Anakin felt his throat dry. Han looked over at Chewie, who groaned in confirmation. "You'd think travelling through Hyperspace, you'd throw people off. Not these guys." Han turned and headed towards the main area of the freighter, still holding his son close to his side. Anakin saw his eyes travel to the thin bandages on his arm. "They must have tracked us from Nantoon. They're certainly persistent. I hate that."

"Hate what?" Finn asked as they followed. Han didn't look at any of them.

"When someone who wants to kill us manages to find us."

"What's a Rathtar?" Anakin heard Rey ask Finn as they sped down the corridor.

"They're big and their dangerous."

"And damn ugly." Anakin muttered under his breath. BB-8 bleeped something like agreement. Han glanced at his son. "Why are you even hauling them?" Anakin asked, curious as to why his father was out here, up to his old smuggling games instead of with the Resistance. And with his mother.

"Some people have funny hobbies," He said as he walked at a faster pace. "Some are collectors. The richer they are, the funnier the collections are."

"Is anyone actually going to tell me what a Rathtar even is?" Rey was becoming agitated.

"Ever hear of the Trillia Massacre?" Finn asked. Clearly the First Order did well educated their Stormtroopers.

"No," Rey said. Anakin had never heard of the massacre either, but knew full well what a Rathtar was.

"Good" Said Finn as they turned a corner within the vast corridor's of the ship. They didn't even know where Han was leading them. Was he going to face the Death Gang? If he did, he was braver than most.

"So you're hauling them to a collector of sorts?" Anakin asked as they clambered down some metal stairs. The banging against metal was getting louder.

"I got three going to King Prana." Han stated.

"Three?" Finn nearly stumbled over his own feet. "How'd you even get them on board?" He asked, bewildered.

"Bait?" Anakin suggested, whilst Han's eyes became shifty.

"Something like that. Let's just say...we used to have a bigger crew." Anakin tripped over his own feet upon hearing. He grimaced before catching up. The distant sound of chatter reached their ears as they turned a corner. Up ahead was a closed blast door. The Guavian Death Gang were approaching. Han glanced towards the door before crouching and opening a hatch – one that looked suspiciously used for smuggling, rather than just maintenance.

"You two get down there -" Han said to Rey and Finn. "And keep out of sight. Don't even think about taking the _Falcon_. And I'm not letting you leave my sight though, boy." Han turned on Anakin, watching him carefully.

"What about BB-8?" Rey asked as the small droid bleeped from behind Anakin.

"Stays with me and Chewie with the kid." Rey began to lower herself through the hatch.

"What about the Rathtar's?" The ex-trooper asked. "Where are you keeping them?" As if hearing his request, on the wall behind them, there was a thunderous _wham_ , and one large orange eye peered at them closely through a view-port.

"There's one." Han pointed as Finn clutched his chest. Finn nodded in acceptance and quickly lowered himself into the hatch after Rey.

"Watch yourself, kid." Finn said to him. Han narrowed his eyes at the trooper, but knew he was conversing about the Rathtar's. Anakin wondered if Finn's patrol had come across the dangerous beasts before.

"What exactly is your plan?" Anakin asked. He was feeling rather hot all of a sudden. Was it because they were close to the Rathtar's? He didn't know if they belonged to a hot climate and the ship was fulfilling their needs, all he knew he was light-headed and beginning to sweat, his wound becoming irritated.

"Same thing I always do: Talk my way out of it." Chewie growled in protest and Anakin found himself holding back a snicker.

"Yes I do!" Han rounded on Chewie. "Every time!" Han turned from Chewie to look at Anakin. "Stay as close to me as you can. Don't let them see you, don't talk, don't attract attention. I don't want them to take an interest in you, okay?" Han's voice was slightly softer as he gently pushed Anakin between him and Chewie, BB-8 rolling around his legs as the clank of boots got closer and the blast doors at the far end of the corridor opened. The red uniformed Guavian Death Gang closed in. Below, Anakin heard faint scraps from Finn and Rey as he hid between Han and Chewie. He particularly didn't want the Guavian Death Gang to notice him.

Not when he'd run into them himself previously.

 **So if you read through that terribly written chapter, I promise you a better one next time. So please let me know if you enjoyed it and the next update will hopefully be up some time next week. Thanks again!**


	9. Settling Old Debts

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **Update time! Whoo! I can't believe how far this story is going – I never expected this, thank you guys so much! This story had over 4,000 views! All thanks to you! And in response to the reviews, I love hearing all your ideas where this story could go – don't worry I take them all into consideration. Some might pop up in here, you never know. And we'll defiantly see more of Anakin's past on why and when he ran away. And thanks for all the idea's on who you picture as Anakin. My best friend agrees with some of you though she's now fixated on Ezra Miller as Anakin, which is a pretty cool choice.**

 **So enough talking, I'll let you all read on. I hope you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to tell me what you think.**

 _Docking bay 25 was chaotic. Anakin peered round the stack of crates he was hidden by. The men in the canteen had told him this ship was heading in the direction of the Outer Rim. It was perfect. He would never need to worry about moving systems every few months within the Outer Rim. The place was filled with a manner of people and creatures that would not care who you were, or what you were running from unless they could blackmail a few credits out of you._

 _Anakin took a deep breath and pulled the faded jacket closer around him as he stepped out from behind the crates and into the howling rain, where many crew members were loading up their cargo. He didn't care what it was, all he needed was passage. There wouldn't be any ships large enough for him to hide on passing here for another week. He couldn't wait that long. Han Solo was rumoured to be in the area, as well as the looming threat of the First Order. He couldn't stay. He'd have to barter passage off._

" _Would you lot be careful with those," A man shouted across the docking bay his voice holding a heavy accent as Anakin approached. "What's in those crates are worth more than what you are to your mother in credits!" The dark haired man turned and saw Anakin behind him. His hand hovered precariously over the blaster holstered to his hip._

" _What do you think you're doing kid? Get out of here."_

" _I'm looking for Bala Tik." The man's head tilted forward slightly, as if not to deny but not to confirm either. "I heard you're heading to the Outer Rim...and in need of extra hands." The man's hand found the blaster and gripped it tightly._

" _Who said that?"_

" _The Lupus twins." The man who was most defiantly Bala Tik spat on the ground._

" _They're both dead men next I see them. What are you two looking at, keep going?" Bala shouted at two men in identical red and black atmosphere suits. One gurgled something from behind a mask that Anakin didn't understand. Bala Tik raised his eyebrows before turning back and staring at Anakin, as if assessing him._

" _What's your name, boy?"_

" _Kitso Pen." Anakin recited one of the last clean alias' he had to this planet. Bala's dark eyes watched him carefully._

" _You're not related to a smuggler by the name of Han Solo by any chance are you, boy?" Anakin tried to remain calm on the outside, whilst he held back all internal screams. He knew the older he go the more he resembled his parents, his father in particular, but the fourteen year old just stuck to his plan should his be asked. It was expected that Han Solo had crossed someone Anakin could come into contact._

" _The old Rebellion general?" Anakin said in mock amazement. "I wish." Bala Tik seemed to contemplate this for a moment._

" _We need another man in the cargo hold. Pull your weight boy, then we might allow you passage. But," Bala removed the blaster at last and placed it against Anakin's chest. "One piece of trouble from you, then you'll be floating to the Outer Rim, understand?" Anakin nodded and Bala waved his blaster and the boy followed several crew members up the ramp. The idea of flying with the infamous Guavian Death Gang wasn't something he had really wished to do, but if he wanted to head towards a new system, this was his only option. He climbed aboard and was escorted to the cargo hold, where several more crates were being loaded up. They were all large and heavily lead lined. He wished to ask the man who seemed in charge of all the workers in the cargo hold, but the man's fierce eyes made Anakin keep his questions to himself. He had rarely left the cargo hold, preferring the small corner he was allocated, eating rations out of his bag for the few days they travelled in Hyperspace. They would occasionally drop out randomly and make stops at various planets, the number of crates they held sometimes lowered, sometimes increased. He still dared not ask what was in them. He didn't have to. They had recently docked on the moon of Geonosis and had been given many more crates to load on. Anakin was sweating heavily as they secured the crates. It wasn't until his hands slipped from a control panel did one fall from it's support and crash to the ground, bursting open._

 _The crates had been large. Lead lined. Tall. Pretty tight, but just enough space with internal air filtering cycle for the beings inside. The slave lay motionless on the ground, eyes wide as Bala Tik raced over, his blaster out. The slave made a run for it. Jumping from the cargo lift and running back out onto the moon's surface. One shot from Bala was all it took. Before any of the other Gang members could place a hand on their blaster, the slave was dead. Bala slowly lowered his blaster before rounding on Anakin._

" _You just lost me precious cargo, time and an investment opportunity." Bala growled. As if reading the man's thoughts, two Gang members grabbed his arms and held him firm. "That's a debt you owe us. Thankfully, it seems nobody will miss you, Kitso." The crate had been rectified before he was met with it's dark confinements. The hatch was sealed tight and he heard the air filter that was secured with the lead lining activate at the doors closure._

" _Let me out! For Force sake, let me out!" He screamed against the door, but they wouldn't hear him, not once the ship started and headed out in the direction of the Outer Rim. These crates could only hold a life-form for no more than a few days without food or water, so Anakin wasn't too sure how long it had been when the hatch was re-opened and sunlight burned his eyes. He covered them as hands grappled and he was thrown outwards into the dust of the ground. He looked up to see Bala Tik conversing with a stranger._

" _He looks young. I doubt he will be strong enough."_

" _The other was a ruin anyways. This one will last you longer," Bala nodded in Anakin's direction, but not looking at him, his heavy accent full of persuasion._

" _You sure no one will come looking? I don't need the Republic baring down on me again," The stranger spat as he cast an eye over the young boy._

" _If you don't want him, sell him. I brought you one human male like you asked. And I should get extra – he's worth more than what the other one was. He'll last for what ever you want him for."Anakin pulled himself to his feet as the stranger held a data pad in his hands, probably working out funds to transfer._

" _Get a transmitter ready," The man said, not bothering to look up. "He's young enough to try and run. I don't want another incident. I want him tagged." The two sets of hands holding him grabbed him roughly and prepared to drag him away from the Guavian ship, but never turned when the heavy fire rained down on them._

" _Resistance fighters!" Bala screeched. "Secure the cargo!" But as he said this Anakin managed to slam himself into the side of one of the Gang members holding and break free of the other's grip, running as fast as he could as Bala Tik screamed curses in another language he didn't understand. The fire power of the Guavian Death Gang's blasters joined in with that of the Resistance X-Wing fighters above their heads. Behind him, other slaves who had been removed form their crates tried to make a run for it. Some seemed to run far. But Anakin heard more than one body fall to the ground behind him as he ran. Anakin didn't stop running. He didn't dare look back. He ran across the deserted area in any direction that seemed right at the time. The Gang members didn't try and pursue him for long, not with heavy Resistance fire over them. He ran for so long, until he felt his energy drip from his form, until his legs ached, until he could run no more. He reached civilisation eventually and located the nearest space port. He seemed to be on a barely inhabited planet in the Outer Rim. He clambered aboard the first ship he could find, desperate to curl up and hide away. The ship hummed to life and he heard the chatter of distant beings. From the sound of it, they were heading for the Joavis system._

 _Anakin just hoped the galaxy was big enough for him never to run into the Guavian Death Gang ever again._

"Just stay behind me, okay son?" Han whispered to him quietly as they turned to face the Gang members that had forced their way on-board the freighter. The clank of their boots and armour echoing before they came to a halt, side stepping to let their leading man through.

Bala Tik had survived the Resistance attack on his slave deal, but not without likely losing a few credits. Costing the Guavian Death Gang a few credits can only be repaid with your own life. Anakin breathed heavily and stepped further back until he was nearly pressed up against Chewbacca. The Wookie growled as quietly as he could towards the nervous boy and placed a hairy hand on his shoulder, showing he would keep him safe as Bala Tik stepped forwards. Anakin just hoped his father hadn't swindled the Gang too badly.

"Han Solo," The accent of Bala-Tik rang out. "You're a dead man."

Not a promising start, Anakin thought to himself as the older Solo composed himself.

"Bala Tik, welcome aboard. What's the problem?" Han said in a cheerful voice, but clearly ready for any sort of fight as his hand rested on his holstered blaster.

"Problem is we loaned you fifty thousand for this job," Bala-Tik said harshly, the coldness in his voice.

"Yeah. Fifty thousand. And you'll get a nice profit once I get these Rathtar's to King Prana, like we agreed." Han said brightly. Anakin couldn't help but feel his eyes rolling in his skull.

"That's the problem, Solo." The man near-spat.

"Problem? Where's problem?" Han said, glancing behind him at Chewie who tilted his head to the side. "Do you see a problem, Chewie? All my business enterprises pay off, don't they?"

"No." The head of the Gang snapped as cold as he could. Anakin couldn't help the small noise coming from his throat in agreement. Even Chewie let out a huff.

"Sure they do!" Han said, not abashed.

"We want our fifty thousand back, Solo." Bala-Tik said as he stepped forward a couple of paces, his eyes peering past Han towards…

Anakin felt the bottom of his stomach close to falling out as Bala-Tik's head rose as he slowly recognised his face. BB-8's dome head titled to look at him and let out a low whistle, the droid rolling backwards, closer to Anakin's legs.

"Everyone who invests with me always gets their money back, Bala." Han said, shaking his head. Bala-Tik stood taller, his hands gripping his blaster much more tightly now as his eyes never left Anakin, who shrunk back closer to the Wookie behind him.

"No they don't Solo," Bala said. "And it seems loosing people money is a family trait of yours." Han's brow furrowed in confusion as Bala shook his blaster in Anakin's direction. "I've had the pleasure of meeting your boy before, at least he didn't call himself your boy at the time." Han's eyes widened and he turned to look back at Anakin.

"You have? When? He's a kid Bala, he couldn't have done anything you." There was a note in Han's voice that Anakin had never heard before. The man took half a step backwards, his arm outstretched as if Bala would charge at them in a given second.

"A kid that cost me a lot of money. He cost me cargo, then never fulfilled the debt he owes me."

"And what would that debt be?"

"Well I had a spice miner ready to pay a handsome fee for him." Han took a larger step backwards this time and his hand clasped Anakin's wrist tightly and pulled the boy closer to him, as if ready to shield him. Chewbacca took a step forward, his Bowcaster placed lightly in his hands.

"A spice miner? _You tried to sell my kid?_ " Han's voice held a dangerous edge now, but if it bothered Bala he didn't show it.

"You owe us fifty thousand, Solo. And the boy. He's the addition. We want our money back now, and the boy. I may still get something for him in Kessel's spice mines."

"Your not having my boy, Bala. That's it. And you think I still have your money? You think hauling Rathtar's is cheap? I spent that money."

"And Kanjiklub wants their fifty thousand back also."

Anakin's head snapped up. First the Guavian Death Gang, and now Kanjiklub. How many deals had Han Solo made to transport these Rathtar's?

"What?" Han gaped at Bala Tik whilst he kept a hold of Anakin's wrist.

"Kanjiklub. You borrowed fifty thousand from them."

"You know you can't trust those little freaks," Han said as he tried to bring the conversation back on a ground he could control. "How long have we known each other, Bala?"

"Long enough Solo. Your type alone I know, the boy included. We want our money back, and so does Kanjiklub. And we want the boy."

"I never made a deal with Kanjiklub!" Han exclaimed.

"Tell that to Kanjiklub." Bala peered at them.

"Will you stop saying Kanjiklub already!" Anakin shouted just as another set of doors slid open at the far end of the corridor. More Gang members. But not more Guavain's. Now it was Kanjiklub cohorts.

Anakin could almost here Han's nerves working overtime as the new members stepped closer. The man in charge looked rather fierce, his angry eyes fixated on Han.

"Tasu Leech. Good to see you." Han gestured, but they weren't buying it by the looks of things. They looked just as disgruntled as Bala-Tik did. The man didn't seem to speak Basic and spoke in a language that Anakin wasn't familiar with, but Han seemed to. The Smuggler's head was turning between the two gang's whom he seemed to have upset. Anakin noted they all had rather large blaster's and could kill them at any given time should Han say the wrong thing. Tasu Leech finished his speech. He may not have spoken Basic, but Anakin knew what the man had said couldn't be good at all.

"Guys – you're all going to get what I promised. Have I ever not delivered for you before?" Han asked with his old smirk.

"Stupid question," Anakin muttered and Chewie let out a very Wookie-like chuckle that earned the sharp end of Han's elbow.

"Yeah," Bala-Tik stated.

Tasu Leech's next word was repeated in binary by BB-8 and Anakin looked shocked towards Han who was trying to account for the two times he had swindled the Kanjiklub cohorts.

" _Twice?_ " Anakin exclaimed in a whisper as Chewbacca nodded. Han was still trying to talk his way out of it, but it didn't seem to be going so well.

"What was the second time?" The Smuggler shouted across to Leech, but Bala-Tik cut in.

"Your game is old," He said. "there's no-one left in the galaxy left for you to swindle, Solo!" Bala-Tik was getting angry now, something Anakin really didn't want to see when the man had disposable gang members at his side and a blaster in his hands. Tasu Leech added in a comment as Han tried to smooth things out.

"That BB unit..." Bala-Tik continued, BB-8 squeezing himself tightly between Anakin and Han. "The First Order is looking for one just like it...and three fugitives…one of them a teenage human male." Bala-Tik pointed a gloved finger at Anakin, his teeth bared. Anakin was certain he had heard Han's heart stop beating suddenly. The grip around his wrist got tighter, but Han kept his voice cool.

"First I've heard of it. Kid's been with me the whole time, and the droid." He said, nothing betraying him in his voice, only Anakin's suddenly pale complexion.

"Search the ship – and bring me the boy!" Bala-Tik shouted as two of his men stepped forwards, one from the Kanjiklub cohorts was pushed forward by Tasu Leech.

"Okay, boys, we can talk this out," Han said as he pulled an arm around his son, refusing to let him go. Before any of the cohorts could take another step forwards there was an echoing screech, that belonged in some jungle on a distant planet somewhere, and not within the confinements of a freighter.

"What the-"

"I''ve got a bad feeling about this." Han muttered as the screeching died down for a moment.

"Enough of this!" Bala-Tik had finally reached his limit as he snarled. "Kill them! Spare the boy and take the droid!" The weapons came up. Han and Chewie looked around wildly as Anakin shut his eyes, grasping the cuff of his father's jacket, ready for the sound of blaster shots that would take them all away from him. But something much more monstrous appeared behind the Guavian's and the Kanjiklub cohorts at either end. Anakin opened his eyes slowly to see the whirling mass of tentacles and scaly skin. The screams of the attacker's, and the sound of blaster fire, were cut short as the tentacle-arms reached out. Bala-Tik and the surviving Guavian's scattered from the approaching Rathtar's.

Chewie growled and Han pointed a finger at the overly tall Wookie.

"Not now! Come on!" Han kept a tight hold of Anakin's hand and the three ran down the adjoining corridor away from the Rathtar attacks.

"Wait!" Anakin shouted over the screams as the ran, BB-8 bleeping loudly behind them as they ran from the impending threat. "Finn and Rey! You left they underneath!" They turned a corner and up ahead was a Guavian who hadn't noticed them. The gang member never noticed Han's fist either until it made contact with his face and knocked him down, the smuggler ripping the blaster from his arms.

"Believe me I think they can probably handle themselves, now come one!" Han lead them down the corridor back towards the hanger bay where the Millennium Falcon would be sat waiting. There path was blocked by the large form of one of the Rathtar's, teeth bared and spittle flying as it let out a blood curling cry. Han aimed perfectly and the Rathtar retreated down another corridor.

"That was a perfect investment opportunity!" Han yelled as they rushed towards the door. "Here kid, I take it you'll know how to use one of these things!" Han handed Anakin the Guavian blaster. "You two hold them off, I'll deal with this!" Han began to struggle with the control panel leading to the hanger bay. The mixture of remaining Guavian's and Kanjiklub cohorts weren't going to let them leave so quickly. Blaster fire erupted all around, and Anakin did his best to aim and defeat. A streak of blaster fire narrowly missed him, but managed to strike Chewbacca's shoulder.

"Chewie!" Anakin called and Han whipped around, pulling the Wookie back from the fire.

"Keep shooting kid!" Han yelled as he checked over the wounded shoulder. All the blaster fire was concentrated around Anakin and he felt one bolt skin his arm, the lightsaber wound erupting in pain and he dropped the blaster. Han's head shot up just in time and grabbed the Bowcaster from Chewbacca's arms before firing in the direction of the enemy. The majority was knocked off their feet, Han shocked by the fire power.

"Whoa." He gasped at the Bowcaster before aiming it at the control panel he had been looking over. With one shot, the doors burst open and their path was clear. Han wrapped Chewie's arm around his shoulders and tried to pull Anakin along but the boy pulled his arm out of the man's grip as blood from the wound trickled down his arm.

"But Rey and Finn!" He cried as they neared their escape route. But as he said this Rey and Finn ran through the hanger bay doors just moments after then, the pair looking worse for ware.

"You!" Han shouted to Rey, "Close the door behind you, and you-." He said to Finn as they ran up the Falcon's ramp. "-take care of Chewie." Finn wrapped the Wookie's arm around his shoulders as they all sped onto the ship, the ramp closing behind them, the Millennium Falcon becoming their one chance at escape now.

 **There we go guys! Chapter nine done! Hope you all liked it! Please let me know if you did or if you have any ideas/suggestions/requests for this story and I'll see you all next time.**

 **May the force be with you!**


	10. Apologies

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **Me again! It's time for a new chapter! Thank you all for the reviews on the last chapter, it's great to get some feedback. So here it is, chapter 10! Who knew it would get this far, huh? Enjoy!**

They all pounded their way up the ship's ramp, Rey hitting the panel to close the access ramp as they all crowded inside. Han raced to the cockpit, Rey right behind him as Finn helped Chewie into the padded alcove that served as a medbay bed. Anakin leaned up against the wall before being thrown off his feet by the blaster fire that tried to penetrate the ship's exterior. He glanced at the wall before racing to the cockpit.

"What are you doing?!" Han asked as Rey settled herself in Chewie's co-pilot seat.

"Unkar Plutt also installed a fuel pump, if we don't prime that we're not going anywhere."

"I really hate that guy." Han murmured as he worked the console.

"And you could use a co-pilot." Rey suggested.

"I've got one, he's back there!" Han exclaimed, but was droned out by Chewie's growls.

"Something tells me it's Finn who's going to come out of this more injured than Chewie." Anakin said with a small smile, before feeling the need to sit down. He rested his head on the back of the seat, breathing heavily as he held his arm to his chest, blood seeping into the seems of his shirt. How much damage could he get on one arm, for Force sakes. He closed his eyes and let his lungs fill and deflate as Rey and Han dealt with the _Falcon_ and their escape. Right now he was feeling as if he were in a trance. He opened one eye slowly and looked around the cockpit. By the doorway he was sure he saw a young boy, watching him keenly, silent. Dressed in brown and cream training robes, the boy watched him, his dark hair falling into his eyes, which showed...contempt? Dislike? It was hard to tell. Anakin's breath quickened as he stared at the boy. Why was he there? He knew full well who he was...how was he not to recognise his own face, but why did he see himself there? The eyes hardened, and with one blink, he was gone. Anakin lifted his head and scanned the cockpit, but it was empty save for himself, Rey and Han.

"Where did he go?" Anakin asked, his voice catching in his throat. He had no connection to the Force...was he hallucinating, was he slowly cracking inside?

"Where did who go?" Rey asked, glancing back at him.

"Me-well, the kid! He was right there!" He had been so life like...no hallucination could have been that real….

Rey and Han shared a look as Han turned in his chair.

"There's no one there, Anakin. What did you see?" But before Anakin could bring himself to speak, more blaster fire hit the ship's hull, causing the console to blink violently. Han turned back around to deal with their issue. Rey watched Anakin carefully as he continued to stare at the doorway to the cockpit.

"Fuel pump's primed. Watch the thrust from your end," Han said to Rey, trying not to look back at his son who sat behind him, his breathing heard throughout the cockpit. "We're going to jump to lightspeed."

"From inside the hanger bay, is that even possible?" Rey asked. Anakin sunk back into his seat and brought his legs up around him, now refusing to look at the doorway should any other phantom's appear.

"I never answer that question until after I've done it." Han said, suddenly interrupted by the face of a Rathtar as the giant creature pinned itself to the viewport, it's teeth bared as it laced itself around the ship. The Rathtar chewed at the sides of the ship as it tried to finish what it started, eyes hungry.

"This is not how I thought this day would go," Han muttered.

"You and me both." Anakin whispered, only Rey seeming to hear him as she tore her eyes from the Rathtar to look at her young friend. She turned back and worked the controls, activating the front shields

"Hang on back there!" Han shouted as he pulled the final lever, and the Rathtar was pulled for the ship and the stars followed, stretched beyond matter into the relief of hyperspace. As they left the freighter and it's cargo to the destruction of the Guavian's and Kanjiklub cohorts, they never saw Bala-Tik intent to earn himself some credits as he passed on the information of the fugitives, the droid and the location of the now galaxy-hunted Anakin Solo in Bala-Tik's possession to the First Order.

The _Millennium Falcon_ skimmed its way through hyperspace, away from one form of danger towards another.

 **/STAR WARS/**

The snow capped mountains pierced the horizon in every direction, the planet's surface bitter and below zero, the opposite to it's mechanical core which burned with fires, metal sleeted with snow, uniforms pristine and the highest working officers inhabited the planet.

 _Starkiller base._

The hollowed out planet was the most fierce weapon the galaxy had seen in a long time, rivalling it's ancestor the Death Star with technology far more advance that the days of the Empire could have only dreamed of. Within the caverns of the heavily armed planet, a single chamber held the lowest temperature, as if held merely three beings. Two of human origin, and the third...many were unsure. The being was ancient, more power coursing through the veins than the galaxy could ever hold alone. This was the Supreme Leader. This...was Snoke. The humanoid being sat upon a great throne, his outline hue blue from his holographic image.

"The droid will soon be in the hands of the Resistance," Snoke's voice was low, but carried about the chamber with masked distaste. "If the Resistance retrieves Skywalker...the new Jedi will _rise_." Snoke's face emerged from the shadows, lighting the aged skin which had been poorly reconstructed, former injuries evident.

The one unmasked human straightened his back as he addressed his superior. "Supreme Leader I take full responsibility for the-"

" _General!_ " The voice cut of the feeble hum of human voice instantly as the imposing figure rose from his seat. "Our strategy must now change." Snoke nearly hissed the words, his eyes dark.

"The weapon," The unmasked man spoke, in hope of correcting his wrongs before his leader. His counterpart besides him remained silent, the mask hiding any form of emotion. "It is ready. I believe the time has come to use it. We shall destroy the government that supports the Resistance: The Republic. Without their friends to protect them, the Resistance will be vulnerable. And we will stop them before they reach Skywalker." General Hux held back his satisfied smile as the Supreme leader leaned back within his throne in acceptance.

"Go," The figure said. "Oversee preparations."

"Yes, Supreme Leader." With a final bow, Hux turned to leave before casting a look to his companion, Kylo Ren, who tilted his mask to the side in recognition of the man's stare, before Hux left.

"There has been an awakening." Snoke said as Hux left, directing his words towards Kylo Ren who stood still before his master, his mask reflecting the void of emotions he was designed to. "Have you felt it?"

"Yes." The metallic drone confirmed.

"There is something more...the droid we seek is aboard the _Millennium Falcon_..." Snoke drawled. "In the hands of your father… _Han Solo._ "

"He means nothing to me." Ren supplied the correct answer.

"Even you, Master of the Knights of Ren, have never faced such a test." Snoke's voice held a fake bout of concern as he eyed his student.

"With the grace of your training, I will not be seduced."

"We shall see...it is the boy who poses a much more admirable concern..." Snoke finalised. Ren seemed to become even more motionless than before, his chest rising slower with each breath. "You have...emotions towards him. You wish for him to be trained along side yourself."

"He is a potential Knight of Ren. He could become so much beneath your training, as I have. A key strategic piece in this war." Snoke pondered this for a moment the chamber silent, though despite this, Kylo Ren knew the Leader would have made a decision long before now.

"...no." Snoke spoke. "He is...too dangerous. You forget Ren, the last time you requested the boy by your side...the call to the Light that flooded you. No...the boy is _not_ to be trained."

"What be done to him by your request?" Kylo Ren asked bravely, daring to paw where he should not. Though Snoke did not belay his question, merely shifted comfortably within his throne.

"His abilities may have been severed, but his is still a danger. To this weapon, to the Order. _To you_. He is to be destroyed. The ultimate test for the Master Knight." Snoke finished.

Ren paused for a moment, one that may have been considered far too long. But in the end, he answered. "If that is what you wish...I will see to the boy's end myself."

"We shall see...we shall see..." Snoke's image dissolved and Kylo Ren was left alone within the silent chamber.

 **/STAR WARS/**

"Electrical overload!" Han shouted over the buzz of the console, and of his original co-pilots growls from within the lounge area.

"I can fix that." Rey said as she climbed higher in her chair. Anakin barely paid any attention to his surroundings or the chance the ship could blow up into a thousand small pieces. He was feeling coldness and heat pass over him at once, his sight blurry and his heart thumping painfully fast. He seemed to hear the blood that pounded in his ears. His wound throbbed as he allowed it to be cradled against his chest. It was thickly coated and traces of sand seeped between the layers of flesh. A fever was developing and whenever he tried to look at something too closely he saw the outline of that young boy just out of his vision. He refused to look at the madness of his mind that projected itself. He would simply roll his eyes back into his head and try to block out the burning pains in his arm that was spreading across his body.

He could not keep his eyes closed for long, however, as lights flashed beneath his closed lids. Images of fire, rain, and a saber that held the blood of the dead that lay around him. His squeezed his eyes shut further and the saber came close to raining down on him. He snapped his eyes open to be greeted with the close up face of Han Solo. He had been drifting out for enough time for them to fix the computing error with the ship, and they were now sailing as smoothly through hyperspace as the rickety old Correllian ship would allow them to.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" Anakin muttered as he shifted form his father's impending gaze. Rey was watching from her seat as she maintained the ship's course.

"You were talking to yourself, and you're burning up." Han said as he placed a hand on the boy's head. Anakin batted the arm away.

"I'm not a child!" He scorned as he rose from the passenger seat, staggering towards the exit of the cockpit, but having to suddenly cling to something as his legs seemed to loose all strength. Han moved quickly and caught his son as the boy tried to catch himself on the door frame. Anakin's eyes were rolling and the room was spinning. Sickness threatened his insides and Anakin was silently grateful for Han catching him as he seemed incapable to move properly. Rey jumped from her seat and helped him up alongside Han.

"I'm fine!" Anakin snapped, becoming irritated. His head throbbing to a point where he wanted to lash out at anything.

"By the Seven Hells are you!" Han exclaimed. "You've caught something. You're not in a fit state to do anything!" Anakin tried to bat Han away, as Rey stepped back, but the Correllian man refused to back down as he wrapped one arm around Anakin's shoulders, and the other scooped him under the knees.

"What do you think you're doing? Put me down now!" Anakin protested loudly. He wouldn't admit his lacking energy had made just standing the most difficult thing. Han carried the boy from the cockpit towards the lounge area.

"Move, ball," Han said to BB-8 as the small droid got beneath his legs as he strode from the cockpit. The droid followed Han through the ship, not leaving Anakin's side as the young Solo's eyes struggled to stay open, his breathing laboured and his chest cold.

"You – pass me that." Finn passed Han the small medkit Anakin had already raided and the man carried the boy towards the crew quarters. Now that there was enough power, the door automatically opened as they approached it. Han carried the boy into his old room as if he were still a small child that had fallen asleep somewhere else. He placed him down on the old bunk that was welded to the wall, beneath one that was suspended higher up along the wall. Anakin pulled himself away and looked in any other direction he could. Han removed more bandages from the kit and removed the scorched ones that had badly dressed the wounds. He wrapped the fresh ones around the bloodied arm and searched the kit for something else to relieve pain or infection.

"There's nothing else in there. I already looked." Anakin muttered as Han cursed at the bare kit.

"I've set a course. There should be something when we arrive. It's only twenty minutes by hyperspace. Until then, stay here and rest." Han placed an awkward hand on Anakin's shoulder, who didn't have the strength, nor the heart to shrug it away.

"I already told you: I'm not a child."

"I know. I missed out on that. A lot of it...and I'm sorry, Anakin." Anakin's head turned slightly in recognition as Han huffed a loud breath and stood up.

"I'm sorry too." He whispered. Han stopped before he reached the doors.

"You don't have to be sorry for running off...I wasn't a good role model for you in that department. I ran all the time."

"That?" Anakin said. "No, I'm not sorry about running away." Han turned around.

"Then what do you mean?" Anakin gulped and leaned against the wall of the ship as he sat atop the comforter that smelled old and unused in a long while.

"I'm sorry about...what happened to Ben..." Han's eyes narrowed towards his youngest, who lay on his side and turned away.

"Ben? Wait – that wasn't your fault!" Han stepped back over. "Anakin, you were a child! You could have had nothing to do with it. There….there is too much of Vader in him." Anakin tensed at the name. Han Solo had rarely mentioned Darth Vader when he could help it. To hear the deceased Sith Lord's title come from the man's lips had taken him by surprise.

"But I could have stopped it...I-I knew it would happen." Anakin bit into the edge of the pillow his head rested on, his eyes squeezed shut.

"You knew?" Han said puzzlement clear. He had never understood Jedi senses, always excusing them as accurate gut feelings. "Anakin...any dream or crazy vision you had about that doesn't make you responsible." But Anakin didn't say another word. He kept his eyes closed and breathed heavy, the weight of that knowledge had been pressing on his mind for years. To say it out loud, to his father of all people took away some of the strain that could keep him awake for hours at a time, that made him run from everything.

Han leaned against the door frame and sighed through his nose as Anakin drifted off in a slightly relieved sleep, his fever still at height though. Han removed his jacket and draped it over his son's skinny form.

"They're not going to hurt you. Not again." He grumbled the promise to himself more than the sleeping boy and left the old room, the evidence of his two son's childhood pressing on him more than ever. He left the boy to his fearful dreams.

 _Fires blazed all around. The younglings all ran through the halls of their burning temple, the screams and crackling flames behind them. The two ran through the halls towards one exit route they had used often. The attack had been unexpected. Their Master had been unsure of anything to come. They all knew, of course. Of the rouge one. The one that left. The one that had fallen not so long ago. The two younglings, one a dark haired human boy, the other a young female Chiss with braided dark hair. The pair barely knew each other. They had been in separate classes and had only seen each other during meal times. But in this moment, they clung to each other and raced to escape._

" _Come on!" The Chiss yelled as the structure around them was crumbling. "I can hear them – they're getting closer!" The exit was just a had and Anakin put as much speed into his legs as he could. His senses burned like the temple. Danger was all around them. But there was something else...something familiar. He didn't understand any of this. He wasn't even supposed to be here. Had his mother not been requested for an emergency meeting, he would have still been at her side as she had demanded. Instead, he had returned to the temple a day earlier._

" _Look out!" Anakin cried and pulled his companion back as a structural piece collapsed before them, their route blocked._

" _Now what?" The Chiss coughed from the ashes. Anakin realised he didn't even know the girls name. But now wasn't the time. He would ask her once they escaped. If they did. The two nine year-old's looked around. The only route open was the one they had come from. The sounds of screams and hissing saber's got closer._

" _Up here! Quick!" Anakin pointed towards the crumbling wall to their left. If they climbed over they would reach the staircase leading upwards._

" _We want to go out, not up!" The girl cried, but a heavy thud not too far from them sounded and she quickly began to scale the wall besides Anakin. He nearly slipped and fell into the flames below them, but she grasped his wrists and helped him over._

" _Thanks." He said and she nodded. They raced along the staircase to the next level. They weren't too sure as to where they could go from here, but they would work that out when they got to that stage._

" _There! Two of them!" A metallic voice echoed within the temple. The two turned to see the black clad figures. Three of them. Only one held a red saber. The two younglings heard themselves scream and ran as weapons charged and clanged. The two held each other's hands, refusing to let go as they ran through the corridors. Ashes burned their eyes and throats as they ran, their lungs close to exploding. They were suffocating._

" _This way!" The girl called as they turned a sudden sharp corner, but where ever she was thinking of going, she would never make. One was waiting. The one with the saber. The crackling red descended and she fell to the floor instantly, her hand falling from Anakin's._

" _No!" He screamed and snapped his head to look up at the masked figure, the blade sparking besides him. The masked head titled to a side and gripped the saber. Anakin covered his eyes with his arms, eyes squeezed shut and braced himself for the burning saber that would end his life. Any second now. But...nothing. Shaking, he lowered his arms to look up at the assassin. They were simply standing there, bearing over, but the lightsaber had been deactivated. Anakin's tear filled eyes stared up at the figure as his legs shook._

" _Who are you?" He asked, his voice wavering, consciously aware of the girl's body next to his legs. "Why are you doing this?"_

" _Anakin Solo." The mask spoke, the same as all the others. Anakin peered up at it as the lightsaber was dropped to the ground. Black gloved hands reached up and unclipped the mask. Anakin watched as it was removed from the figure's head._

" _B-Ben?" He stuttered out as he saw the pale face of his older brother, who had left so suddenly only recently. "Ben!" He cried and threw himself at the teenager as he crouched down to the boy. Anakin wrapped his arms around his brother's neck, the teen wrapping his long arms around his younger sibling's back._

" _Where have you been? Everyone's really worried! Are you coming home? What are you doing?" Anakin held back the fear of his brother cutting down the girl as he clung to him. Ben would never have done that! But he had..._

" _Never mind that, Anakin, come on." Ben pulled back and gripped his arms. "Are you okay, are you hurt?" It was defiantly Ben. Anakin could hear the concern his brother always held for him in his voice._

" _I'm okay...but...Ben...what's-I-I don't understand what's happening here." He looked down at the girl's form, her blood being soaked up by the carpet._

" _Not now...come one..."_

" _Are you a Sith now?" He asked, his childish demeanour defining him in his brother's eyes._

" _Anakin, listen to me now," Ben said, gripping Anakin's arms tighter now. "I have seen this galaxy for what it really is. I'm making it better. The Jedi...they're destroying it...I'm making this all better for you, for us. Come on now..." Ben tried to lead Anakin away, but the boy held back._

" _What happened to you? What did you do to my brother? You're not Ben!" The man with Ben's face gripped his wrist as Anakin tried to pull away. The eyes had gone darker than ever and the two stared at each other._

 _The temple burned and crackled around them, but the memory became hazy and a white fog seemed to develop around everything and everyone, all sounds slowly fading away._

Anakin slowly opened his eyes and remembered he was in his old bunk aboard the _Millennium Falcon_. His eyes stung and he held back the choking sob. It felt as if he were loosing his brother all over again.

 **I hope you all enjoyed it! Let me know if you did. Until the next chapter guys!**

 **May the Force be with you!**


	11. Old Acquaintances

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **Hello! I'm back! So here is chapter 11! How quick does this go? I hope you guys like this chapter, I wasn't too keen on it for some reason. I have no idea why, but I hope you like it so I'll let you all read!**

Anakin remained still within the bunk, his eyes shut. But he dare no let himself drift off to sleep again. As much as he hated to admit it, he was curious to experience the rest of the memory, of the day the Knights of Ren lay waste to the Jedi. He wanted to hear the voice that he had been so sure had been Ben make the offer that Kylo Ren had claimed to make. But as he knew he would never experience the rest of his memory without his connection to the Force, he remained conscious, no matter how loudly his body screamed at him to take advantage of the moment and sleep. The ship juddered and jerked as they exited hyperspace. The door to the room opened and Finn stepped inside.

"Kid?" He whispered, expecting him to be sleeping. "We're here. Kid?"

"I'm awake, Finn." Anakin grumbled behind a yawn and sat up, Han's jacket sliding off him. Finn glanced behind him where the others would be before hurrying over to Anakin.

"Kid you gotta help me," He said in a whisper. "They're going to find out I'm not with the Resistance at this rate...and I..." Anakin grabbed Finn's shoulder.

"You just want to run, don't you?" He said.

"And you don't? The First Order is hunting all of us. I've seen what they're capable of. I just want to run. How can you not?"

"I didn't say I didn't want to run. Believe me, I know exactly what the First Order is capable of. I've...had the...pleasure of meeting Kylo Ren before." A new body appeared at the doorway

"You two coming?" Rey asked. Now that they were beginning their descent, there was a sparkle in her eyes, at the wonder what a new world could hold.

"Yeah...give us a minute." Finn said and Rey charged off towards the cockpit where Han and Chewie would be bringing the Falcon into landing mode.

"Listen, Finn. I have no idea what so ever what you could do to get out of this mess," Anakin said.

"Oh, right, thanks Ani." Finn grumbled, rubbing his temples. The nickname swirled in his stomach, as it seemed with Finn as they remembered their fallen friend.

"Let me finish first," Anakin said as he stood up and stretched. "Rey will find out you lied eventually. The best thing to do is...well, I'd say once BB-8 is delivered to the Resistance, tell her the truth. At least it comes from you that way."

"I suppose." Finn sighed as he stood up and cast an eye around. "This is your room?" Anakin looked around himself, taking it all in properly.

"Yeah..." He whispered. "This was mine and my brother's room when we were kids."

"You have a brother? You never said."

"Had. He's...not around any more." Anakin said as he turned from Finn to look at an old shirt that was once his, going by the size. Had he really been that short the last time he was aboard this ship?

"Sorry...I didn't know...how did he die?" Finn asked carefully.

"He, um…got too close Kylo Ren, I guess you could say." Finn's eyes darkened as he wrapped an arm around his young friend's shoulders. "What about you, though?" Anakin asked. "Did you know your family? Before the Order?"

"No. They take you right from birth. Some families sell their children to Order. I don't know if I was taken or willingly handed over. I don't think I want to know, really." Finn sighed. "Come on kid," He patted Anakin's back and the pair left the room. Anakin glanced back once more before they head towards the cockpit where Rey was seated next to Han. The console was bleeping as they entered the planet's atmosphere and gravitational pull began to take effect. They were heading towards miles and miles of green, a great lake sitting centre.

"Wait...Takodana?" Anakin asked as he began to recognise the large structure nestled between woodland. He had been here before...a long time ago…

"I never knew there was this much green in the whole galaxy." Rey breathed as she took it all in. Anakin watched her eyes light up at the sight of the new world. He remembered going to planets when he was little and enjoyed seeing things he would only see there: the wild plants, the creatures. That's what Rey's eyes showed. Now all he saw planets as a place to hide away, but she saw them as something amazing, something to explore. The Falcon's landing gear was activated and they settled upon a ridge before the great lake, the castle that Anakin knew to belong to Maz Kantana just a few moments away by foot through the patch of trees. The ramp was activated from the cockpit and Rey rushed outside, BB-8 rolling after her, bleeping happily.

"I thought we were going to the Resistance?" Anakin muttered to Han as the older Solo began deactivating the console and activating security measures. "They're in the Ileenium system."

"I know where they are." Han said, not turning around.

"Oh. Okay then...I thought you were going to drag me straight back...home." Han slowly turned to look up from his seat, ready to say something but held it back before turning away suddenly.

"You are going back home. The communicator in here has been fried, so your mother doesn't even know that I found you, but you are going back."

"I don't think I'd even try and run away again, to be honest. Here," Anakin left Han's jacket over the co-pilots seat and headed back into the lounge, where Chewie was tending to his Bowcaster. The Wookie looked up upon entering and growled.

"Hey Chewie." Anakin said with a flat smile. The Wookie placed a hairy hand on his shoulder, in his way to ask if he were okay.

"I'll be fine, just need to get something for the infection." Anakin motioned to the arm that had been bandaged properly thanks to Han, but the Wookie's dark eyes told him that's not what he had asked about.

"Don't say it Chewie. Just don't." The Wookie nodded and pulled the boy into a hug with the strong arms. Anakin gave his 'Uncle' a wan smile before heading down the ramp. The fresh air cleared his head slightly and the wind cooled the flushed skin. He glanced in the direction of Maz Kantana's castle. The place was more or less a 'pit-stop' for passing pilots and smugglers. All manner of creatures passed here. Anakin simply hoped none of them were ones whom had been swindled y Han Solo, or Anakin had crossed himself at a bad time.

Anakin looked back to see Han stride towards a supply cupboard where spare weapons were held. He descended the ramp and saw Rey taking in the breathtaking views of the lake surrounding the numerous lush green hills.

"It's beautiful," she said as her eyes soaked everything up. Anakin stood besides her, casting his won eyes out as the wind ruffled their loose hairs. Takodana's nearest settlement was miles away. This part of the planet was relatively peaceful. He could stay here for ever, forget everything else in the galaxy. Could he? The idea of hiding within the trees, living off the land and never passing another person sounded ideal, a beautiful notion. But it would be futile. The galaxy was aware of his existence once again and he'd never get a moment's peace. Kylo Ren wouldn't stop until he was under his thumb, trained as a Knight of Ren. Or maybe they'd kill him – he had already made his view's on the First Order clear.

Rey stood still as she took everything in and Anakin wandered away, towards the thicket of trees that separated them from the castle of Maz Kantana.

"Where do you think where's your going?" Han Solo's voice reached him. Anakin glanced back and saw him at the bottom of the ramp, walking towards him, as if expecting him to disappear once again if he were not under constant supervision.

"Just looking. I remember these parts is all." He said, glancing up as creatures swung from the trees at the sound of their voices.

"I remember too. You nearly broke your arm over there," Han pointed towards the thickest tree. Anakin had remembered trying to climb the tree when he was little. Anakin's eyes fell and looked back in the direction of Rey. Han sighed through his nose and turned on the spot to see where he was looking.

"Has she really never seen this much green before?" Han asked as the girl conversed to BB-8.

"I don't think so, she's lived on Jakku for most of her life, as far as I know." Han's brow furrowed for a moment as he took in the sight f Rey before handing a blaster to Anakin.

"Just hold on to this," Anakin took the light-weight blaster. "It'll be better for you till we get something for your arm. A shot from a med-droid should work. Don't...don't wander off, okay?" Han asked, his eyes holding a silent plea. Anakin nodded and allowed the feeling of affection as Han ruffled his hair before the man headed off in the direction of Rey, another, yet smaller, blaster in his hand. Anakin inspected the blaster as Han conversed with Rey. Soon, Finn e came down from inside the Falcon and they began their trek towards Maz Kantana's castle, Chewie staying behind to look after the ship.

"Are you going to tell us why we're here?" Anakin asked as they followed the familiar sloping path.

"To get your droid on a clean ship," Han said to Rey and Finn as the castle loomed above them, thousands of flags from different era's star systems and colonies fluttering in the wind. "And you with it." Han said to Anakin as the boy walked besides his father, his eyes fixed on the castle.

"Clean?" Rey asked, confused.

"Isn't it obvious? Do you think it was luck, that me and Chewie were able to find the Falcon? If we can find it on our scanner's, the First Order isn't far behind." Han said.

"But you'd never leave the Falcon behind, not when you just found it again." Anakin didn't understand. Han's eyes crinkled as he looked at his son, as if trying not to say something. "You are coming with us, aren't you?" Anakin asked and Han never answered him, instead he acted as if he never heard his son's question.

"Trust me, if you want to get BB-8 to the Resistance, then Maz Kantana is our best hope." They pasted the archway entrance, a rusted droid limping away from the structure as a statue of the owner welcomes them from above.

"Can we trust her?" Finn asked, wary of any potential chance of them being reported to the First Order. Deserters were commonly executed.

"Relax kid, she's run this watering hole for a thousand years. But whatever you do, don't stare." Han finished as they reached the entrance

"At what?" Finn and Rey asked. BB-8 chirped his question also. Anakin felt himself smile slightly. He remembered his mother telling him the same thing when he was small. Of course, he had stared until his eyes popped. Maz Kantana had taken it all in good humour, thankfully, becoming fond of the youngest Solo child. It was this favour that Anakin had used when had first run away to barter passage away from the Resistance, as they had been based upon one of Takodana's moons.

"Any of it."

Han pushed open the doors and revealed the dark confinements of the cantena, a small live band playing as merchants gambled, drank, ate and made themselves at home within the establishment. A large fire pit was central to the room, heating every damp stone corner. Games that were illegal in most systems were cheered on in the darkest corners and every manner of species and droid littered the room. Anakin followed Rey and Finn, BB-8 rolling down the steps behind him, and was greeted by the strong stench of the cantena. His eyes travelled across everyone briefly, knowing all too well what could happen should you stare at anyone for a nanosecond too long.

Anakin stood behind Han as they reached further into the room, but before they could take another step forward a voice halted their tracks besides the fire pit.

"Han Solo!"

Every single being stopped and turned in the direction of the their small group, as they nervously tilting from one foot to the other. Every eye was upon them, even the band had frozen.

"Oh boy," Han murmured under his breath. "Hey Maz!" He tried to sound confident. Amongst the crowd, Anakin spied the short, leathery orange skin of Maz Kantana weave her way forwards, dressed in basic clothing with a padded grey vest and her lenses perched on the sunken eye sockets of her face as she reached them. She just came up to Anakin's waist but he knew this woman held more fire power than she let on.

She came to a stop in front of Han, taking them all in before asking something Anakin was a little thrown off to hear. "Where's my boyfriend?"

"Chewie's working on the Falcon," Han said and Anakin tried not to furrow his brow as Maz stated how much she liked Chewbacca.

"I assume you need something. Desperately. Let's get to it then," Maz sighed and began to lead the way.

"We could use a med-droid now, if you have one going spare. Kid needs an anti-infection shot." Han said and Maz stopped to turn again. Her lenses seeming to automatically enhance as she looked up at Anakin.

"I see you finally caught up with him then," Maz stated.

"Well yeah, I-" Han stated but Maz held her hand up.

"I wasn't taking to you," She said and her eyes travelled to where Anakin was unwrapping his lightsaber wound. Anakin heard Han hold his breath a second longer as he too looked at the wound that his eldest son inflicted. Maz peered closer before turning to a Chiss seated besides the fire pit and speaking in a tongue that he didn't recognise. The Chiss had long braided hair and Anakin could have fallen over at the sound of a lightsaber cutting through the flesh of another. He closed his eyes for a moment, wavering as the Chiss stood up and left, presumably to get the med-droid. There was a sudden hand on his shoulder and Anakin opened his eyes to see Rey looked at him, her eyes half drawn to the room, but half looking worried.

"Everything alright?" She asked as they moved forward again. Anakin nodded and gave a small smile before reaching the table Maz had chosen in the far corner of the room. The table was away from the crowds enough for them to talk and not to be overheard. Upon the table lay a basket of various fruits local to Takodana.

"Help yourselves." Maz said and they needed no prompt. Anakin grabbed a peached coloured spiked fruit he remembered to be particularly sweet and tore the skin off before chewing the pulp gratefully, not noticing Han watching his every movement as he devoured two of the fruit. Finn didn't take a single piece, but Rey was happy to indulge in the new foods. BB-8 sat besides their legs beneath the table, his lights blinking and his small dome head rotating as he assessed the creatures around them for a possible threat to their moment of safety.

A med-droid that Maz had ordered soon rolled up and began to assess Anakin's wound as he began to peel a third piece of fruit, the juices within staining his shirt a dark purple around to collar but he paid little attention as he ate his food and watched the droid administer an injection above the wound into his blood supply. The rusted piece of machinery printed off some guidelines, which Anakin scrunched into a ball and left on the table as he rubbed in a salve the droid had given him.

"The medicine shall work shortly, however rest for the next twenty-four hours, a rise in adrenaline can cause a momentary height in fever." The droid bleeped in binary before rolling away. Anakin redressed the wound which reflected the fire light due to the gel in the bandages from before, some fruit juice stains about it.

"How does it feel now?" Han asked, looking across the table as the last hints of the wound were covered by bandages. "Looks pretty good. I suppose your mother will have Bacta-patches all over you when..." Anakin looked up as Han trailed off. Maz's head tilted to the side to look at him before turning to Han.

"You found him alive, then." The woman said simply as she helped her self to a piece of fruit.

"A little battered and bruised, but yeah. Well, these two found him first." Han pointed to Finn and Rey. Finn was watching the customers carefully whilst Rey happily ate away.

"I am right here you know." Anakin muttered as he knotted the bandage. "And I can take care of myself."

"I know you can, but the galaxy is dangerous place, especially for you when you ran out there. I told you that." Maz said as Han's eyes narrowed.

"Wait...you've seen him? Whilst I was out there looking for him and you never said?!" The smuggler demanded but one look from Maz and he quietened down, his eyes travelling over to Anakin. "We are going to have a serious talk at some point. And I mean it." The smuggler pointed an accusing finger in the direction of his son.

"I saw him when he first left," Maz said simply. "He came here on a cargo transport from the Resistance and bartered passage from here with a group of Belganiese smugglers."

" _And you let him?_ You let a child run off with a group of smugglers?" Han demanded.

"He promised me," Maz said, her head turning to face Anakin who busied himself with his fruit peelings. "that he would get in contact with you and Leia as soon as he could. To tell you he was alright. And I recall that running off with a group of smugglers when you were younger did you no harm." Maz finished.

"That is besides the point," Han said, slightly flustered, resting his face in his hands.. "Maz, you should have told me. Leia is going to go out of her mind."

"I'm surprised you haven't told her already, or at least taken me back there first thing." Anakin said, fully aware of Rey and Finn watching them. Even BB-8 poked his dome head out from beneath the table to watch. Maz moved her head between the two Solo's.

"You haven't told him yet?" She said and Han sighed heavily.

"Told me what?" Anakin asked, the last of his fruit caught between his teeth. "Is it Mom? Is she alright? Is that why you haven't-"

"She's fine, son, don't worry. Your mother will outlive us all. We are, um..." Han trailed off as he made eye contact with Anakin.

"You're what?" Anakin, his hands tensing around the fruit peel.

"Look, alright, we argued a lot. You know that. After...Ben, and you running away...well they got worse and we decided to...we decided to go our own ways for a while." Anakin dropped the fruit peel as he felt all the nerves in his body tense up.

"You argued...because of me..." He stated, his voice shaking.

"You didn't cause this, Anakin." Han said, leaning over the table. "Okay, we just needed some time apart and haven't got around to fixing things yet, okay, but don't-" Anakin stood from the table and left before Han could finish.

"Anakin!" Han called out but Anakin didn't stop. He weaved through the groups of beings in any direction. Instead of heading for the door leading outside he descended some stone stairs to the lower part of the castle, where there was much less light and noise. Ever nerve in his body burned as he strode down the stone corridor. He burst through the first door he found and kicked out at everything around him, swiping a table clean, kicking several crates before collapsing against the wall, breathing heavily. He needed to keep that anger under control, but he couldn't. He wanted to scream out and kick everything but tried to bottle it up. Instead he clutched at his hair and brought his knees up to his chest.

"Why do I mess everything up?" He yelled at nothing in particular. He breathed heavily, his breath rising in small icicles as he sat still, not moving as he continued to breathe, holding everything inside and trying to calm himself down. He felt like a toddler having a temper tantrum, with no sense of guidance. When he had the capabilities, Uncle Luke had taught him to channel himself through the Force, to feel all the life around him to calm his anger. It had always worked. Now if he reached out it was cold. There was nothing. An empty space inside his head. His brain was sick for the space. To have been able to feel the life flow of every living thing had been simply amazing. Beautiful even, to feel the purity of the galaxy, to feel the light within those people had given up hope for.

He could have sat there hours before he heard the door creak open and Maz Kantana slowly stepped inside, her whole form only just reaching the height of the door handle.

"My dear child," Maz said as she stepped into the room to stand besides the red-faced boy, his dark hair stringy and sweat beading upon his brow.

"I can feel your pain, even without the Force in you, your pain burns." Anakin didn't want to hear this. In a token of his futile anger, he kicked out at a crate before his feet. A chest a top it fell to the ground and it's contents spilled about. Silver cylinders rolled across the stone flagged floor, small pieces bouncing and a small leather bag flumped in a puddle of dust.

"What are those?" Anakin asked, leaning away from the wall as he inspected the pieces that lay scattered by his feet. They...looked like the components for a lightsaber. He looked up at Maz as aged woman removed the lenses from around her eyes, which seemed so small without them, but still held much more wisdom than he had ever seen.

"Not everything is your fault, no matter how much you believe it. Kylo Ren coming into existence was not your fault." She said as he turned away, becoming immersed in the hilt of the saber case. "Anakin, do you know why your Uncle took the Force from you?"

"I don't remember. Not much anyways." He mumbled.

"Because of Kylo Ren." She said as she sat a top the crate he had previously kicked. "You were a child, no one blamed you for it. When Ren attacked, he made you an offer, to join him."

"He mentioned that,"

"I expected he would should you two meet again. Your Uncle severed you from the Force as you were too pure, too much of the Light side flowed through you. Kylo Ren could pick you out anywhere in the galaxy fairly easily His offer...you had accepted it, in your mind you thought yourself able to retrieve your brother from within Kylo." Anakin raised his head.

"Snoke would have crushed you in seconds," Maz continued. "You would never have been trained as a Knight, even if Kylo Ren himself requested it. You attempted to return to him, believing your brother to still be apart of Kylo. But he had already left. Ren would have come back for you, your presence in the Force sang to him, dear child. Beings far and wide could sense you, you called for your brother, who lay buried in Kylo Ren. Luke cut you off...until you were ready."

"Until ready for what?"

"To face him." Maz jumped from the crate and picked up the leather bag from the ground. "Ben Solo is in there. I'm no Jedi, but I know it is possible for him to come back. Look at who you were named after, living proof that the Light side can triumph. You're ready, Anakin." Maz opened the leather bag and revealed the heavily damaged crystal glowing within the bag's compartment, dimly glowing a pale white.

"It is old. I salvaged most of this from the Temple after the massacre. The crystal is unstable, but still powerful to work in a saber." She cast her hand over the components over the floor.

"I can't build it, a lightsaber has to connect through the Force, through it's creator...I can't." Maz stepped up to Anakin's slouched form as he held the remnants of the lightsaber, resting the palm of her hand on his left temple. He watched her wide eyed as the woman closed her own eyes. He felt the warmth of her hand tingling on his head. The warmth was spreading though his mind as he began gasping for air as the familiar feeling flooded his body. He felt warmth but also the cool energy seep into his veins, swirling around into his very soul. He closed his eyes and allowed this to flood him, to let him reach out, to feel all the objects around the room. Everything banged against each other, like a child trying to make mismatched shapes fit.

He did not see the components through his closed eyes, but he felt them. He felt them drift lazily through the air, heard them click, heard the shuffle and the scrapes, as well as felt them. He felt everything around him. He stretched out and could feel the presence of many others above him. With a resulting clink, he opened his eyes and saw the lightsaber balanced in mid air with no support. He watched it keenly, as if waiting for it to fall and break into a million pieces. But it remained perfectly still, as if balanced on a surface top. He glanced down at the bag in Maz Kantana's hands and felt the pulsing presence of the crystal. It slowly began to lift from it's snug quarters before drifting towards the newly built lightsaber. The surface was marred and small burn pockets donned the exterior, but they served as the reminder of those who fell.

The crystal slotted perfectly into place and the saber sealed itself with a resounding whirr.

It remained in the air until he slowly reached out and grasped it. A perfect weight for his hand and suited to his height. He stood up carefully, aware of Maz watching him. His thumb hovered over the small circular button before pressing down. The blade hissed to life, crackling in much a way as did Kylo Ren's. The crystal was unstable, but it showed his connection to Ren. To the part of him he would hunt down.

The white blade had once been the sign of the purest of Jedi. He was as far from that position as one could get, but now traditions did not matter. It was the Light that called to him. The Light that pounded through his veins. It was the Light that would resurrect Ben Solo.

 **There we go! I wasn't too happy with this chapter for some reason, I don't know. I'm going to try and bring Leia into the next chapter, so that'll be fun to write. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next as much as I do. Pleas take a second to tell me what you think if you have the time and I'll begin writing it soon, until then:**

 **May the Force be with you all :)**


	12. Coming Home

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **Hullo! So I have an exciting treat for you all since this story reached over 7,000 views! That you all so much – this may only be a short chapter, but it focuses around a special character! This is the first time I've written whilst focused on Leia. She's an amazing and complex character so I thought I'd bring her into the story this way! Thanks to every one for the follows and favourites and for the reviews – nothing makes me smile more. So now, enjoy!**

The encrypted information travelled across planets and reached D'Qar within several minutes of the transmission being sent from the rusted transmission droid stationed within Maz Kantana's cantena. The communicator sat at his post translated the message from binary to standard Basic before handing it over to his commanding officer within the main control centre of the Resistance base. The officer read over the message before she began pushing through the crowd towards the general. General Leia Organa stood besides two pilots and a trusted gold protocol droid that had been at her side since the days of the Empire.

"General?" The woman asked and the general waved the two pilots away.

"Yes? Is everything alright?" The general asked. She was dressed in a simple grey jumpsuit a brown vest, held up by a thick black belt. Her greying hair was held up in an elaborate style and her face held all the years of war and despair that the galaxy had been forsaken with.

"We think we've had sight of the droid, General. A Com-Droid stationed on Takodana reported one identical to BB-8." The pair walked up to an info-panel, the original message displayed besides a record image of the droid.

"Any sign of Poe Dameron?" Leia asked. She had put utter faith in the Resistance's best pilot. He hadn't been in contact long past the criteria time period, but that wasn't uncommon. But what was uncommon was the fact that First Order had sent messages across the galaxy about the droid. Three fugitives were believed to be with the droid.

"The droid didn't report any sign of the pilot, but...the First Order has revealed more data on the fugitives and the Com-Droid has confirmed the sight of these fugitives with BB-8 on Takodana." The female officer spoke as she began typing into the computer and the heightened display screen presented the information the First Order had sent out.

"Here," The officer said as she found the relevant information. "General...the droid believed that BB-8 was in the company of General Solo." Leia slowly raised her head as she read the words for herself.

"Han," she whispered as a Resistance identity photo revealed itself upon Han Solo being mentioned in the record. The photo-image was old, salvaged from the Rebellion in the days of the Empire. The young face of Han Solo held adventure and cockiness in his eyes.

"Goodness gracious me," A robotic voice said as C-3PO came to stand once more besides the former-princess's side. "Han Solo. Oh it is good to hear that he is alive and well." The droid would have beamed should his facial construction have allowed it.

"There's more...General?" The woman said and Leia tore her eyes away form the image of her husband. The same eyes that had been passed on to both their children stared at her from the image.

"Yes, please continue."

"Well, we intercepted this piece from within the First Order's Finalizer. One of the fugitives is a rogue trooper." The officer typed again and the retrieved image of the former FN-2187 appeared on screen with the little records that they had managed to get away with.

"A rogue trooper?" Leia said softly, her eyes trying to look back to the place where Han's image had been seconds ago. "This is good news – not all of them are susceptible to the indoctrination. Many more may rebel and relinquish the First Order."

"The information was hard to get a hold of, General. Clearly the First Order didn't want other's to think they had a weak spot."

"Who were the other two fugitives? I'm assuming my husband wasn't one of them."

"No ma'am. For one other, there is no image I'm afraid, but they were said to be a female native to the planet Jakku." The woman scanned the report displayed once more before coming to a halt at the end of the report. "The third...ma'am...there's a piece of security footage and a name here." She pressed one key and a few seconds of security footage was shown in place of an image. The tape was looped but showed the face of the running individual in the corridor of a First Order ship. The hair was darker, the body taller. The skin was pale and the features had changed over the course of several years but the sight froze the blood within Leia's veins as she felt the familiar calling within her soul that her brother had taught her about as her eyes scanned the image greedily.

"You said there was a name." She said, trying to compose her voice as C-3PO took a step closer to the monitor as he too examined the image.

"The fugitive was reported under the name of Anakin Solo, and there is a much larger bounty on his head courtesy of the First Order." Several passing officers stopped and glanced at the report. Some higher members of the Resistance walked over and examined the report for themselves, one placed their hand on Leia's shoulder as she slowly sank into a vacant seat. Her eyes were ton between the looping clip and anything other than the face of him. Was it really him? Could he have survived out there, alone? Was there a chance? All hope that her little boy still being out there had died down in the last few years. But now? That face? He had her nose. He had his father's eyes. He was on the run from the First Order. Her insides screamed that it was him, those feelings that had never let her down before were confirming it, but dare she allow herself the chance of happiness to blossom?

"Oh my," C-3PO said quietly. "Thank the Maker. Mistress Leia," The droid turned on the spot to see the woman allow her eyes to reach back up to the screen that showed the clip for everyone in the room to see. He was alive. He was out there, and he was fighting.

Her son was coming home.

" _He's finally asleep," The doctor left the room, exasperation in his eyes and the heavy bleeding cut above his right eye was clotting._

" _Thank you," Leia said, her diplomatic voice switched on as she attempted a resolve. "And again, I'm so sorry for-" the doctor waved his hand._

" _General, it was not the first time a child has thrown something at me to avoid a sedative, and it won't be the last. I just never expected it to fly through the air without him touching it." The man grumbled as he turned and followed the route of the corridor, away from the party of three that sat outside the room. The two humans and tall Wookie left the plastic seats and entered the room. A med-droid was stationed in the far corner for assistance, and vital signs were displayed across the wall above the bed that held the small figure. The broken data pads that had flown across the air to the offending doctor had been cleared away. Leia sat herself down in the chair closest to the bed and picked up the pale hand of her child, the skin holding a dark bruise, but his image showing no other sign of injury._

 _Han sat on the edge of the bed, a hand on the boys head as Chewbacca watched over, concern etched into his native growls. The attack had finished barely a day cycle ago, but Anakin remained in hysterics from the moment the landing support party of the Resistance had reached the temple. The boy had been all that remained. Every other Jedi had been slaughtered._

 _Han had lead the ground assault and they had found Anakin nearly instantly. The boy clung to them, but beat them away also, shouting, screaming, his words incoherent as his father tried to calm him down before taking him back to the Resistance leading ship._

" _When did Luke say he would be here?" Han asked quietly, despite the heavy sedative would keep his son asleep no matter how loud his voice._

" _Shortly. He'd been searching for a Force sensitive on Lothal when we managed to get through to him. He was already on his way back." Han merely grunted in reply, instead watching his son's chest slowly rise and fall with each breath. This was the most peaceful they had seen him in a while. Leia began running her hand through her son's hair as she stared intently at him._

" _Do you think he saw -"_

" _Leia. Don't." Han said. Chewie growled in a soft tone and Han sighed heavily._

" _Han. There is a chance Anakin saw him – saw Ben under that helmet."_

" _He did." A quiet voice said and they turned to see Luke Skywalker standing in the doorway, his eyes low and all the light that had once been held in the sparkling blue eyes had now began to die. His cream and brown Jedi robes were faded and travel worn. The man was still relatively young, but he seemed older, his face drooped and seemed defeated._

" _Even now, he is calling for Ben. He knows who he is. He doesn't understand it, but he still calls for him. Every Force-sensative in the galaxy can hear him calling for Ben."_

 _This was not what they wanted to hear. Luke stepped around the bed and embraced his sister before placing a hand on his brother-in-law's shoulder, nodding towards Chewbacca before his eyes fell on his still nephew. Han hid his face in one hand._

" _He won't stop calling. He's screaming it. Can you hear him?" Luke asked Leia. She closed her eyes and reached out with invisible senses. She remained calm a moment before being shocked out of her trace by an unseen heavy blow._

" _Leia?" Han asked, sitting up on the bed watching her she her eyes travelled back down to Anakin._

" _Han, he's crying. All he wants is Ben."_

" _Leia, listen to me. You too Han." Luke said as he pulled up a seat besides his nephew's bed. "Anakin is strong in the Force. He's projecting himself no matter what towards Kylo Ren -" Han turned his head at the title "-even this Snoke who we know little about, he will be able to hear him. Anakin may not ever realise he's doing it. And he won't be able to stop. There is only one thing I can do for him."_

 _Leia gripped the boy's hand tighter. She had only ever learnt the basics of Jedi training. How to control her emotions, keep a level head and use her senses to sense deception. But even she knew what her brother was going to suggest._

" _You think that will work?" She asked quietly, her hand tracing her son's nose._

" _The First Order will come at Ren's command. He won't stop until every last Jedi is gone, Snoke will enforce it. This way...no one will be able to harm him."_

" _Wait, what are you going to do to him?" Han asked uneasy as Luke sighed heavily._

" _I didn't go to Lothal to find a Force-Sensative. I went to meditate, to learn. If I had known of what would happen in my absence, I would never have left. But I learnt something whilst I was out there. Han, I will have to separate him from the Force."_

" _You can do that?" The man asked. He had known Luke for years, the man was his close friend, having known him from the stage of a cocky farm boy on that dust ball of a planet. He knew next to nothing of the Force, it was nothing more than old mumbo-jumbo to him. Ever since Luke began to sense the darkness in Ben, Han had listened more closely, hoping to understand more as to his eldest son's turn and sudden fascination in the Dark Side and the legacy of Darth Vader. Anakin would be in safe hands, surely._

" _I didn't even know you could do that." Han said and turned to his co-pilot. "Did you know that?" Chewie growled and shrugged, shaking his great hairy head. As if sensing their intentions, the heart rate monitor attached to Anakin increased on screen and the boy tossed in his sleep. Leia turned immediately and shushed her boy._

" _When can you do it?" Leia asked not taking her eyes away from her son until he settled again, like he were once more a baby that cried for only her attention._

" _I can do it now. The First Order could already be on their way." Luke said and rose from his seat._

" _It won't hurt him will it?" Han asked and Luke shook his head. Leia stepped away from her son's bedside and allowed her brother to lean over the boy, turning him onto his back. Luke closed his eyes and placed both his hands on the side of Anakin's head, his breathing slowly becoming in rhythm with Anakin. Soon both increased the pace of their breaths. Luke's eyes squeezed shut harder just before hands shot out of nowhere and push him away, considerable power behind the push._

" _No!" A voice cried and Anakin tried to climb out of the bed, but Leia clung to the boy, who flayed and screamed._

" _No! Get off me! Stop it! Uncle Luke – stop it!"_

" _I'm sorry Anakin. I'm so sorry," Luke said, the hurt clear in his voice as he reattached his hands to the sides of his nephew's head and continued to concentrate. Leia kept a hold of her son tightly who screamed with his inability to move around._

" _No! Stop! BEN!" Anakin screamed as anything loose within the room began to shake violently as if something were to penetrate the atmosphere of their based planet. All of Luke's remaining energy sunk into the boy, who slowly went limp in his mother's arms, his eyes slowly drifting down as it seemed a part of the shining light within his brown eyes had suddenly died. Luke collapsed in Leia's vacant chair as his sister sat on the edge of the bed and shushed her child, who became withdrawn at the sudden lose of feeling and clung to his mother as if she were a lifeline._

" _Are you alright, Anakin?" Han asked as he leaned over and placed a hand on the boy's head. Anakin breathed heavily and sunk deeper into the bed, Leia's hand stroking his face as she bundled the medbay blanket around his shivering form._

" _Will he be alright?" Leia asked Luke, who's erratic breathing slowly stabilised._

" _It'll be a shock. It's been with him since birth. Like Ben. He'll have lost two of the most important things in his life now, stay with him. He'll be safe now. They'll never find him; he's stopped calling." Luke slowly rose and kissed his sister's cheek, clapped a hand on Han's shoulder before leaving the room, casting one look back at the family that surrounded the bed. Chewie followed the lone Jedi from the room to give the parents a chance alone with their child._

" _It'll be okay, Ani." Leia whispered in her son's ear as he stared at the furthest wall, not making eye contact, not giving any indicators of life apart from his heavy breathing. Leia looked up at Han and they shared a look before glancing back down at their son, who was now in pieces before their eyes._

General Leia Organa had never wanted her work life and her family to clash so violently. He son's had been raised around the New Republic and the Resistance as it slowly built up. She had never wanted either son to suffer so much. She would do whatever she could to bring her children back, as well as her husband. Leia rose from her seat in the command centre.

"Prepare the fighters and a transport shuttle. The First Order will undoubtedly know where they are by now. They'll need air and ground support." Soldiers nodded and everyone reported to their stations. "I'll head out with the transport, make sure there is enough fire power for us, the Order wants that droid badly. They cannot get a hold of BB-8 or any of the droids companions, am I clear?"

There was a chorus of ''Yes General".

"Send me the information we have on the First Order fugitives." Leia said to the female officer who had originally approached her. She nodded and sent the files to the data pad that Leia collected from C-3PO.

"Good luck, Mistress Leia," The droid said fondly in the most humane tone the droid could manage. Leia smiled fondly up at the droid and the command centre rushed around her as Leia strode towards the hanger bay where pilots were suiting up and transports were loaded. She reached her designated transport and sat in her seat within the cockpit as the pilot and many ground troops climbed aboard. Leia activated her data pad and re-read all the information on Han Solo the Resistance had collected in his absence, despite her knowing it all to heart. No matter how crazy he drove her, her love for him still beat powerfully in her heart. She stared at Han's image one last time before swiping the screen of the pad to reveal the looped piece of security footage.

"I'm bringing you home, Ani. Don't you worry." She whispered to herself as the engines of the transport began to crawl to life.

 **There we go! A little treat for you all. That was the first time I've written from the perspective of Leia, so please tell me what you thought about it, I can never tell how much in character the people I write are in. Also tell me if you enjoyed it and I'll see you all next time.**

 **May the Force be with you!**


	13. The Battle of Takodana

**One Light, One Dark**

 **Hello! I'm back! And after so long without an update! I bet that wasn't enjoyable! Well here it is, the next chapter with the very special appearance by the great Leia Organa! I hope you enjoy it and thanks so much for the continued support on the story.**

Soon the murmur of voice above drew Anakin's attention away from the saber. Had the presence of hundred of lifeforms not drawn his attention, he may have well of stayed in a trance, staring at the saber in his hand. His head turned to the side slowly and he saw that Maz Kantana had gone. Slowly, as if any sudden movements would snap his restored connection to the Force, Anakin attached the saber to the slot on his weapons belt, before leaving the dusty chamber. He closed his eyes as he walked, following the sense of the mass of beings within the centre of the castle. He trailed back up the stone steps and emerged back into the crowds of people drinking, gambling, and hiding from authority.

Anakin's eyes may have scanned the crowd, but his senses felt out and he allowed his feet to follow the trail back to where Han Solo was sitting by himself. Anakin momentarily wondered where Rey and Finn had gone, along with BB-8. But right now he needed to talk to Han alone. He approached the table and sat back down in a vacant seat.

"You okay kid?" Han asked as he sat back in his seat, staring at his son who fingered the piece of skin from the fruit he had previously eaten.

"I am now."

Han furrowed his brow in confusion until he saw the newly assembled saber hanging from his belt.

"Where did you get that from?" He asked his son.

"It's mine. I built it." Han Solo may know little of the Force but he knew a Jedi needed to be connected to the Force to assemble a saber. He had watched his first son reach that trial. Han noticed the gleam in Anakin's eyes, the Light than seemed to pour from them.

"You..." Han trailed off, his breathing slightly laboured.

"I can feel it, the Force. I can feel everything. I can feel _him_. And I remember. I remember it all." Anakin raised his head slightly to look at his father. Han held the one thing in his eyes which was rare – fear. But Anakin didn't react the way he always thought the boy would. He didn't run to find Ren, to join or salvage his brother. He remained calm and composed in his seat. He lifted his hand slightly and the piece of fruit skin between his fingers slowly rose form the table surface, hanging in mid air alone. Han watched carefully at the concentration on his son's face, before it was disrupted as a figure clad in sand stained robes raced past their table.

"Rey?" The fruit skins dropped as Anakin spun in his chair to watch his friend race from the castle and out of the doors. "Rey!" But she was gone.

"Where did she go? Where's Finn?" He asked as he turned back in his seat. Han let out a sigh.

"Finn's gone. He left."

"What? Finn wouldn't just leave – not now when we've come so far." Han just sat in stone-like silence as Anakin looked between him and the door which Rey had left through.

He left his seat and walked fast-paced through the crowds after the Jakku-native girl. Takodana was a planet teeming with wildlife and forests covered over 90% of the planet. She could easily take care of herself but the place was easy to get lost in. Anakin jumped down the stone steps and ran into the thicket of trees.

"Rey?" He called out. "Rey!" He jumped over logs and felt it – her burning presence. He wondered how, even without the Force, he had never sensed her before. She burned brighter than the stars. Untrained and so much potential. But he was not seeking a Jedi. He was seeking a friend. "Rey!" He stumbled into a familiar clearing and found himself alone. The Force was strong here. It seeped between the branches of the trees, came from their roots. It was teeming with it. In the corner of his eye he was sure he saw that small boy in the Jedi robes again, watching him from behind a tree. But now wasn't the time to dwell on the past.

He took several steps forward again before he heard the bleeps. He turned and found BB-8 had followed him out here.

"Come on, we've got to find her." BB-8 bleeped a positive and shot off in the direction Anakin was travelling. The droid was faster than he let on. They passed moss coated stumps and rocks. Wildlife croaked from the shadows and the forest hummed. Up ahead he spied the cream robes between some trees towards the base of a slope. He slowed down and approached her carefully. She breathed with the Force so much that it was nearly painful. But BB-8 on the other head charged through the trees towards Rey. The little droid bleeped to gain her attention.

"What are you doing here?" She asked the droid. "You need to go back." She said before Anakin made his own presence known.

"Rey? What's going on?" He asked as Rey was torn between running and talking to them.

"Take BB-8 back. He needs to go to the Resistance. I'm leaving."

"Leaving?" He said quietly. "Why?"

"I need to get back to Jakku." She said as she turned to look in any direction that may offer her passage back to the desolated planet she called home.

"I don't understand – why would you want to go back there so much? What happened?"

"Look, take BB-8 back. Okay, I'm done. Finn's left. I'm going too. I've been away for too long." She breathed, her eyes seeming close to tears, but were held back by pride and determination. "Jut go already." She turned to head up the slope, BB-8 protesting noisily, but Rey stopped in her tracks. Anakin felt his insides twist in fear as he looked up towards the sky. There – a red streak. So much power radiating from it. And it was aiming in the direction of the most densely populated systems. The capital of the Republic. Many streaks streamed like water through the stars before colliding with their targets. They were too far to see the effects, but they felt it. Rey didn't understand the pain she felt in her heart as she clung to the moss of a tree. Anakin slumped on a rock as he felt the souls call out before being silence once and for all.

"What-what was that?" Rey asked as she breathed heavily, staring up at the momentarily empty sky.

"The First Order...they did it. They...destroyed the Republic. It's over." Anakin rubbed his chest as if the pain were physical. Rey slowly moved away from the tree. BB-8 voicing his concern, asking what caused them to feel pain.

"I can't explain it -" Rey said to the droid, her eyes travelling up to Anakin for a second as the boy removed the new saber form his belt and held it ready. "-but go with Anakin, he'll take you to the Resistance. They'll help you." Before the droid could protest, the sky was soon alive with the rally of the First Order.

"They're here." Anakin breathed, the icy cold of the Dark side washing over him as he knew Kylo Ren approached. "The First Order followed us." Rey remained still, as if a panic-stricken animal as the three of them watched the formation of TIE fighters enter the system, flying over them in the direction of…

"Dad. Chewie." Anakin breathed. He ran from the rock back towards Maz Kantana's castle. He barely noticed Rey was close behind him, BB-8 bringing up the rear as they raced back. They ran down the curvation of the land and back up the ridge to see the attack. TIE's open fire on the monument of Takodana. They watched in fear as the laser power rained down, and from behind the smoke, the large shuttle began it's descent. Ren was here.

Anakin gripped his saber tightly.

BB-8 gave out a low whistle and the two humans turned to see a trooper standing on the outskirts, their back to them. Rey removed the small blaster from the back of her belt and aimed to fire, but nothing happened. Anakin ignited the crackling white blade of his saber and held it ready as the trooper noticed them and opened fire.

"The safety," Rey muttered to herself before finding the correct switch and opened fire. Anakin deflected one blaster bolt of the trooper before Rey fired. The trooper was sent through the air and landed in a smoking heap on the second shot.

"Whoa...nice shot." Said Anakin with a smile before more troopers made their way forward. Bolts missed them by mere inches. The young Jedi managed to deflect several back and hit the troopers in the chest as Rey opened fire without mercy. The ducked one bolt before running.

"Come on BB-8!" He yelled as they ran back into the forest, sending bolts from Rey's blaster and deflecting whatever the troopers sent their way. The further they ran, the less they could hear from the attack.

As they stumbled over dead branches and leaves, they ran through the trees. One trooper surprised them further ahead with several bolts that made Rey's loose hairs fly before the Stormtrooper was given a smoking hole in the chest and they continued to run. They made it back to the clearing they had been in mere minutes ago and came to a stop.

"Go that way," Rey said to the droid as they breathed heavily. The girl pointed in the opposite direction to which they just came. "Keep going till you get to safety." The little droid bleeped.

"I hope so too," Rey said and began to run again. BB-8's dome head turned to Anakin.

"Do as she said. We'll find you again soon, I promise." The little droid tilted it's head and bleeped. Anakin smiled slightly.

"I'll look after he, don't worry." The boy picked himself up from the ground and ran off after Rey. He didn't hear the droid ask who would look after him. The sound of fire power was distant now. Anakin lost sight of Rey as he slowly pawed around tree's and rocks as the feeling of dread and cold came closer.

Kylo Ren was hunting them in the forest. Anakin briefly wondered if his brother was remembering all the times they had been here as children, and played in these very woods. Again that small boy in the Jedi robes was seen in the corner of his eye. Anakin blinked and the boy was gone. He stayed low and whispered Rey's name. His feelings were a mess. Ren would be able to sense him now. He was toying with him, throwing his feelings off. Anakin panted heavily as he crouched behind a rock as the feelings of the Dark side got closer for a second before retreating. He would be looking for the droid. Anakin wondered what he would do with Rey if he found her first. She had so much potential, he would sense that now as the Knight of Ren stalked them.

Anakin had refused, so would he offer to train Rey? He felt his stomach twist at the very notion. Anakin made it his mission to keep Rey away from Kylo Ren, even if it cost him his life. The older girl was unused to the Force. Ren would exploit it beyond any means.

He ran from behind the boulder and made his way after the burning presence of Rey, which was far too close to the presence of Kylo Ren. Gripping the saber tightly, Anakin sped through the forest. He was nearly taken off his feet by a stray blaster bolt. He glance up through they stands of his hair and saw two troopers crouched between trees, their blaster's aimed at him. They opened fire and Anakin physically threw himself to the ground, under the cover of a fallen tree. He caught his breath for a moment as the blaster fire continued over his head. He took a large breath and held it in before jumping to his feet and letting the Force swim through his movements, guiding the blade to deflect the bolts back at their origins, blasting the two troopers off their feet.

For a moment he thought of Finn. Was he fighting these guys too? They would be like brothers to him, surely. He knew what it was to fight a brother. Anakin breathed heavily as he glanced at the dead troopers before moving his shaking legs over the log and down the slope of the forest. He dwelled for too long, as he never felt the presence of Kylo Ren get closer. It wasn't until he heard the hiss activation of a saber and the figure stepped from behind a cluster of tree's that Anakin regain his senses.

Upon seeing Ren so suddenly, Anakin stumbled over his own feet and only regained his footing with luck. Had he fallen Ren may have killed him there and then.

"You didn't get far from me." The metallic voice rose from the black clad figure, the cross guarded saber being lazily swung, but still deadly and far too close. Anakin took several steps backwards and re-ignited his own blade. It too crackled from instability. Kylo Ren tilted his masked head to the side as he contemplated his brother.

"Your abilities...they have returned...this will make it a fair fight." Ren said as he lunged. Anakin had expected this and dodged.

"Come on Ben, you never cared if it wasn't a fair fight." Anakin grinned as he felt Kylo's anger at the name.

"I am not Ben!" Kylo screeched and swung his blade, which met Anakin's. The two hissed, as if welding together before being wrenched from each other.

"He's in there – my brother is in there! He's alive!" Anakin yelled as the two ran towards each other, their sabers held high. They met and parried, clashing violently, sparks flying.

"Snoke wants you dead. It's my job to finish you!" The metallic voice was staring to seep with Ren's anger.

"You can't – Ben is in there and he won't let you. Let my brother go!" He screamed and lunged himself, his blade hissing as the red blade narrowly missed his head. Battles continued over head. Troopers were piling through the forest, but upon seeing Anakin in the midst of a battle with their commanding officer, they fled.

"You had your chance to join me, you have brought this on yourself!" Their blades met. With a push of power, Anakin pushed Kylo Ren away from him before he retreated up an opposite pathway.

"You can't kill me – I know you can't!" He goaded the man. He only hoped he was leading the master of the Knights of Ren away from any direction that Rey or BB-8 was in. He wouldn't be able to hold his brother off forever, but he had to contain him long enough to allow his friends to fight their path clear. Anakin skidded around a corner as the red blade jumped him from behind another. They stood frozen, staring at each other, their blades humming as they watched each other.

"I will finish what the Supreme Leader has requested."

"Yeah? Well your Supreme Leader is a -" his words were cut short by the swinging blade. Ren was infuriated, swinging the blade all around, burning through trees and hitting any wildlife in it's pathway as he aimed to cut down the Jedi. Anakin continued to take steps backwards, away of where he placed his feet, before jumping to the higher ground of a large rock, his eyes never leaving Ren's mask. "I know you're in there, Ben." He called as Kylo stalked after him. "Don't let him win. Fight him, Ben. Ben!" He screamed as Kylo Ren pounced. Their blades met once again before Ren stuck out his hand and the boy went flying through the air. With a sickening crack, Anakin felt himself be through against the trunk of a large tree, before falling helplessly to the hard ground before Kylo Ren's approaching feet.

Kylo Ren came to a stop before his fallen form as Anakin's body tingled with the pain of his collision. The boy Jedi tried to pick himself off the ground but found himself unable to move. The idea of being paralyzed didn't cross his mind. He could feel Ren's hold over his form, keeping him still and vulnerable. The knee's of the man bent and Anakin managed to tilt his head slightly to look up at the sleek mask from his position down in the dirt.

"Why are you so convinced your brother is alive? Ben Solo is _dead_." The mask whispered. Anakin felt the small grin on his own face grow.

"He's not – he's in there. You know it. Otherwise I would be dead this very second." Ren remained still. "Ben had a stronger grip over you than you realise." Kylo Ren stood and raised the saber, his arm held high. But Anakin didn't blink, he just watched. Waiting for the saber to rain down and end it all. But Ren's arm stayed high. It was struggling, that much was clear. The saber arm was shaking violently, making the blade look more chaotic than ever. With a scream coming from within the mask, Anakin felt himself being thrown with the power of the Force again as Ben Solo did what he could within his confinements to stop Kylo Ren killing his younger brother. Anakin felt himself hit a jagged rock and his vision began to bleed away. The last thing he saw was Kylo Ren struggling to control his own arm before the saber destroyed the trees surrounding him in a pitiful rage, and stalking back into the forest after his prey.

Anakin felt the grin on his face lift even higher as his vision died and he sunk into unconsciousness.

Hopefully bother Rey and BB-8 had gotten far away in the time he had fought the Knight of Ren.

Hopefully Finn, Chewie, Maz and his father had survived the battle.

But there was one thing he was certain of: Ben Solo was alive in there.

 **/STAR WARS/**

It was some time before he came around. Anakin felt winds pick up when he opened his bleary eyes. The clearing he was in was empty. And he had a killer headache. Groaning, he pulled himself up right. The sky was still alight, but time had clearly passed. Smoke raised from the direction of Maz Kantana's castle and the sound of ships and blaster fire had ceased. He saw no TIE's in the air and his feelings confirmed that Kylo Ren had left the planet….but so had Rey's presence.

"No..." he whispered before stumbling to his feet. He picked up the fallen lightsaber several feet away and tried to run back towards the castle, all the time calling out Rey in case his senses were merely jumbled and she was alive and well somewhere.

"Rey!" He shouted, birds scattering from the disrupted homes. "Rey!" He called, his head swimming in pain. There was no physical injury, he assessed as his head trailed the back of his head. No blood was on the skin of his hand. He clambered up a steep slope, his hands grappling vines and loose roots as he reached the top, dirt beneath his fingernails and drenched in sweat. The adrenaline in his system was dying down and all he really wanted was to rest. He reached the top and saw everything.

The castle had been reduced to cinders and rubble. Stormtroopers and civilians from within the castle lay strewn across the land Several survivors were in the centre of the destroyed castle. Anakin glanced around and saw ships, X-Wing fighters around a man-made perimeter. The Resistance were here.

A voice called out: "Anakin! Anakin where are you?" Anakin glanced down behind him and saw Finn was walking among the wildlife, BB-8 hot on his heels. The little droid turned it's dome head and bleeped loudly. Finn looked around quickly and saw him up ahead.

"Anakin!"

"Finn! You came back!" The two reached each other and hugged momentarily. "Where's Rey? Please tell me she isn't-"

"The First Order have her." Finn stated breathlessly. Anakin closed his eyes. It was worse – dead would have been merciful. But she was in the clutches of the First Order. Ben Solo did not have total control yet – Kylo Ren did and was still a threat.

"Come on, they're all looking for you." Finn said and the Jedi followed the ex-trooper towards the castle centre. Finn walked over the fallen troopers without hesitation. Pilots and ground fighters, plus survivors of the attack all sat within the ruined castle, wounds being tended to and reports being taken. Anakin saw the back f Han Solo standing next to the tall hairy form of his co-pilot.

"Solo!" Finn called and Han turned suddenly, his hand in his hair.

"Anakin!" Han called out, Chewie growling a sound of relief. As if a mere child, Anakin ran from Finn towards Han and embraced his worried father.

"You survived." Han whispered to himself more than to his son who he hugged tightly before letting him go. "You okay?" He asked – it was clear in Han's eyes: he knew Kylo Ren had been planet side. Anakin decided to hold back on that information for now.

"Yes, I'm fine, but Rey is-"

"Don't worry kid, we'll get her back." Han said fondly with a tight smile. He ruffled his son's hair as Chewbacca embraced the boy.

"Oh thank the Maker," A familiar voice said. Anakin pulled himself away from Chewie's strong hug to see the gold plated droid walking forward as fast as the electronic legs would allow him. "-it's so good to see you again Master Ani!"

"Threepio?" He said as he noticed the droid's red arm and he grimaced. "I forgot about that – sorry." He said as the droid caught up to them, remembering the circumstances the droid lost his arm.

"Apologies aren't necessary, Master Ani. Oh Mistress Leia will be so relieved to see you are alive and well."

"Mom?" He said, his voice dropping. "Is she…?" He looked past Threepio towards a shuttle where medical supplies and Resistance members were gathered. Amongst the leaders was a woman with dark hair that had slowly began to fade. The woman looked across the battlefield, her eyes meeting Anakin. She excused herself and made her way over, close to running as she neared to her son.

"Mom!" Anakin found himself shouting as he ran to meet his mother, who pulled him into her arms once close enough.

"Anakin," She said as she held her son close. The last time she had held her son, he was a quiet nine-year old in a medbay bed and was a lot shorter than her. Now her son had grown around two inches on her, but still clung to her like he did when an infant.

"Mom, I'm so sorry, I-" H said before being cut off.

"It's okay, Ani. It's all okay now." She said as her son held his mother equally tight in the remains of the battle.

 **And done! That took longer to write than I thought it would. So please take a moment to tell me what you all though of this chapter – feedback is forever welcomed! And I will see you all soon! Hopefully with a much better and earlier chapter than this one!**

 **May the Force be with you!**


	14. Promises

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **Hey guys! It's me – and with a lovely new chapter for you all. Thanks to everyone for the reviews and reads here. So welcome to chapter 14 and I hope you all enjoy it.**

 _The doctor had left twenty minutes ago once he had feigned sleep. The medical droid had exited through the other door only seconds ago. Anakin slowly opened his eyes and pushed back the sheets of the medbay bed. He was already dressed underneath instead of his night clothes. He delve under the bunk and retrieved a heavy bag that held anything a runaway would need in the first few days. He opened the door via the access panel and crept along the softly lit corridor._

 _It was the midst of the night cycle aboard the_ Reviver, _the current command ship in the Republic's formed Resistance against rising terrors. Barely anyone was about. Anakin swallowed the horrible feeling in his stomach and made his way through the ship. He managed to hide behind supply crates and in cupboards whenever he heard someone approach. He passed the command quarters where he knew his mother was. Several days ago he could sense her sadness through the Force, as if her tears were travelling down his own cheeks. Now he felt nothing through those steel enforced doors. He mouthed a silent apology towards the door before continuing down the corridor._

 _He reached the main hanger bay. Pilots and mechanics were in few numbers, many resting whilst the restless ones tended to their ships with little enthusiasm._ _Anakin scanned the hanger and saw no sign of the_ Millennium Falcon _. He hadn't seen his father in the last few days. His mother hadn't mentioned her husband once. He had heard the_ _m_ _arguing when they had thought him sleeping more than once. Maybe Han Solo went to clear his head. Inside, the boy was a little disappointed. He wanted to see him once before he left._

 _O_ _n the far side of the hanger was the small transport ship he had overheard was leaving tonight. They were currently orbiting one moon of Takodana. This ship was going to the planet's surface. There...he could go. He didn't deserve to be here. Not after Ben. The boy clutched the hem of his jacket before sneaking up the ramp of the ship and settling between empty boxes that were to be filled with supplies. He buried his face in his knees as he felt the ship rumble and the_ _pilots_ _closed the access ramp. They didn't know he was on board. And when his mother awoke after the night cycle, he would hopefully be on the far side of the galaxy._

Once the small battalion landed on the green planet of D'Qar, the ships were emptied and prepared for any sudden attack. Once the ramp of the ship Anakin had been pulled onto lowered, Leia guided him towards the base entrance. He barely got a chance to look around the surface which was teeming with mechanics and pilots. As he followed his mother down the steps into the communications hub of the base, he saw the _Millennium Falcon_ enter the atmosphere of the planet.

"Whoa..." Anakin heard himself murmur as he entered the chaotic area. Officers and droids bustled past, relaying information. Leia took Anakin's hand in her own and lead him over to where several pilots and ground fighters were being treated for minor wounds. She hadn't let him out of her sight from the moment they were reunited.

"Seriously, I'm fine, Mom." Anakin said, but one look from Leia silenced him. She sat him down on a bench besides a more up-to-date Two-One-Bee medical droid than the one on Takodana.

"On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?" The droid asked as Leia unwrapped the bandages on his old lightsaber wound that Han had dressed.

"Zero. I'm fine -" He paused as Leia finally saw the wound. She didn't ask how he got it, instead she dismissed the medical droid and began to place Bacta-patches along the wound. The cool gel-coated patch seeped into his skin and he felt the faintest inflammations die away.

"Do you have any other wounds?" She asked as she tided away the medkit.

"No...there was just that." He replied, knowing the Bacta-patch would enable his skin to heal faster than any regular bandages would do. Leia nodded and handed the medkit over to another droid. She placed a hand on her son's forehead, checking for any symptoms that had so far escaped her gaze.

"Really," Anakin said again, staring into his mother's eyes. "I'm fine." Her hand slipped from his head onto her son's cheek.

"I thought I'd lost you, you know." She said. Anakin slowly hung his head.

"I know."

"Why didn't you come home?" She said quietly. It was almost impossible to hear her over the noise of the base.

"I couldn't, I'm sorry." He fell silent for a moment as Leia continued to watch him. "But I'm going to make it right – I'm going to bring Ben home." Leia smiled slightly before pulling her child in for a hug.

"Your father told me that you blame yourself. It had nothing to do with you, okay? You could have done nothing to stop it."

"But I can now. I'll bring him back, Mom, I promise you that." The two stayed silent for as long as the moment allowed them to.

"General Organa." An officer called and Leia left, Anakin following his mother deeper into the base, his eyes following every detail they could. As his mother spoke to the officers, Anakin turned and walked into C-3PO.

"Sorry Threepio." He said as he continued to look around in awe.

"No apologies are necessary, Master Ani. Though I must say it is good to see you here once again."

"Yeah...I suppose it is good to be home." He gave the droid a small smile. He had spent his whole life around the politics of the Republic and the Resistance once it was formed. He spent days following mechanics and pilots, playing with things he shouldn't, hiding under tables during important meetings. He remembered interrupting one meeting his mother was in because he had woken up from a nightmare. He made his way through the crowds and wandered over towards where Chewbacca was being medically assessed. He sat besides the Wookie who was being spoken to by the dark haired female who was checking him over for injuries when he noticed Finn follow someone into the communications hub. In front of him...no way.

Anakin ran over to where Finn was stood besides his mother and he instantly recognised the man in the pilot's uniform.

"Poe? Poe!" He yelled and the pilot let out a triumphant laugh as he punched the air.

"Ani! You made it kid!" Poe pulled him in for a strong hug, laughing the whole time.

"I don't believe it – are you seeing this Finn?" The worry for Rey paused for only a second as he relished in the survival of his friend. "Poe Dameron you are one hell of a survivor!" Anakin's face cracked into a grin as Poe wrapped an arm around each of his friends.

"What about you though kid, Finn here tells me you two have been running across the galaxy."

"To put it lightly." Finn said before turning back to General Organa. "If there is anything I can do-" Leia held up her hand.

"Tell us everything you know about this weapon and then we can plan ahead." An officer came forth and escorted Finn to where several members would debrief him on the weapon, standing around a large flat display that allowed the generals and officers to stay up to date with information and attacks.

"Where did you go, Poe? I woke up and Finn said your TIE had sunk."

"I ejected as soon as I could. Woke up at night and there was nothing. I walked for miles on that wretched planet," Poe said as the two stay opposite each other. "I listened for any news of you two. There was nothing at first, but then I hear the First Order held a strike against a small salvage town after two human fugitives. I managed to barter passage off to a nearby settlement before I was able to contact the Resistance to pick me up." Poe's face showed evidence of his escape from the First Order and his trek across Jakku. His skin was more tanned and held several scrapes, but he continued to smile and his eyes hadn't died down.

"You did great kid, you guys got BB-8 back here, you completed my mission. Now I'm going to help you rescue your friend." Anakin stretched out a smile as he thought back to Rey. Who knew what Kylo Ren would do to her. She may have already been brought before this mysterious Supreme Leader Snoke. His stomach boiled at the thought of his friend being hurt, and at the very thought of Snoke. He was the foul creature to manipulate Ben into becoming Kylo Ren. He fed him pieces of information on the infamous legacy of Darth Vader, manipulating the Light and Dark conflict within him.

A small bleep to Anakin's left drew him out of his thoughts. BB-8 was rolling around the sitting pair and bleeping before rolling off towards the control console.

"Come on," Poe said and they walked over towards the console where senior members had gathered. Finn finished speaking to several people on what he knew about the weapons formation before walking over and standing on the other side of Poe. Anakin looked about the circular console and noticed many faces that he vaguely recognised. They had aged somewhat and several glanced in his direction as his mother came to stand besides him. Anakin squeezed Leia's hand and his mother smiled up at him slightly before turning to face the others.

Anakin glanced over Leia's head to see Han watching him. The older man nodded slightly before turning upon hearing C-3PO addressing Leia.

"General, I regret to inform you that the map from BB-8 is only partially complete." the golden plated droid said as he inserted the chip into the central port and a section of a navigational chart was displayed before them all. "And even worse, it matches no charted system on record. We simply do not have enough information to find master Luke." Anakin heard his mother sigh to his left as she deflated at the negative information about her brother. He studied the map and could not place any of the listed planets the chart held. It seemed to be a void piece of space, completely isolated and held very little systems. It was the perfect place for his Uncle to hide. The great Jedi was still lost to them.

"Was I so foolish to think I could find Luke and bring him home?" Leia murmured to herself until Han interjected.

"Leia-"

"Don't do that." She snapped at him before turning away.

"Do what?" Han asked, confused.

"Anything." Leia said finally and left the console. Anakin watched his parents leave and bicker in a corner. He couldn't hear them, but their body language told him all he needed to know: Ben. And going by the dark look in Han's eyes, the name Darth Vader was pushed in there somewhere. He glanced back tot he console and saw everyone in deep discussion. Finn and Poe were trying to locate and charted sector that might match the piece of the map, and BB-8 was with Threepio, standing over an inactive droid. The blue and white markings were visible from even here. R2-D2 had suddenly lowered into low-power mode after Luke's final visit to his family. He hadn't heard a single bleep from the little droid since.

Instead of helping his friends with the map, he quietly crept away towards where his parents were in the midst of their discussion. He stuck to the shadows of the rocky caverns that made up the base. He remained some feet away and listened in, his hands gripping he edges of the rock as he watched them both.

"...I should just have never sent him away, either of them, it's what made me lose them both. Made me loose you." Leia said, looking up to Han as Anakin watched.

"We all had to deal with it in our own way, I went back to the only thing I was ever good at." Said Han.

"We both did – but that drove Anakin from us. It hurt him more than we realised and the made us lose him."

"We got him back though," Han said solemnly."But we lost _him_. We lost our other son."

"No, It was Snoke. He seduced our son to the Dark Side. But we can still save him. Me. You." Leia's determination to save her eldest son burned brighter than anything in the room . Causing Anakin to feel a warm glow inside his stomach.

"If Luke couldn't reach him, how could I?"

"Luke is a Jedi. You're his father. You brought Anakin home. Now it's time for Ben. Anakin senses the Light in his brother – it's there. That's why he's still alive. He can be reached. By you, though. Not Anakin." Han continued to stare at Leia, as if contemplating this until interrupted by someone calling for Leia.

"General, the reconnaissance report on the enemy base is coming." With one final look at Han, she turned and followed the Resistance member back into the centre of the room. Han Solo continued to stare at the spot where his wife was moments ago before emitting a loud sigh and turning and noticing his son in the corner, still watching him. The pair continued to look at one-another until Anakin decided he needed some air and trooped back up the stone steps of the make-shift base and up into the Light of the planet's surface.

The green of D'Qar stretched for miles. He always enjoyed these planets, their fresh air, the quality of nature surrounding them. X-Wings were stationed around the main core of the base, which was situated below the surface. Anakin strode uphill of a grassy embankment just away from the centre of the base. He sat a top a collection of large stones and watched everything below him. Many were filtering between ships, prepping them for immediate departure, supplies were stocked and mechanics repaired any damage from the battle of Takodana. This was home. He had seen the effects of the First order since he was born. It had begun to mould soon after the Empire's fall. Now they were strong. They had destroyed the Hosnian system – the capital of the New Republic. The galaxy was falling into chaos and they were in the centre of it all.

He wasn't sure how long he had sat up on the hill, savouring the air that scratched at his face and ran through his dark hair, looking out to the edges of the blue oceans he could vaguely see in the distance. But soon people began filling out of the underground departments of the base up onto the surface. He saw BB-8 roll out towards a black X-Wing that must be Poe's. It seemed battle was coming sooner than expected. He watched people run to their stations. In the midst of it al he saw his parents. Han besides the Falcon with Finn and Chewie, preparing the ship. Leia was slowly approaching them and they began a conversation. Anakin simply watched. He heard noting and couldn't even make out their postures of expressions from up here. Soon they embraced and Han headed back towards the ship. His mother was watching everyone load for war. Her eyes travelled inland and found him sat up on the hill. Slowly, he stood from his seat and made his way back down the grassy slope, passing pilots who all wished each other good luck. Anakin wandered past Poe's ship as the pilot committed the final checks.

"Hey kid – they're charging the weapon. We're the next target." Poe said seriously. Anakin felt his stomach drop. "Get aboard a fighter or whatever. This is going to be a bloody fight. General Solo is conducting a planet side assault. Wish him good luck for me." Poe said and clapped Anakin on the shoulder.

"I will. Good luck to you Poe." He said and nodded to the pilot and up at BB-8 before passing through the crowds towards where Leia was waiting.

"You're going to go with him, aren't you." It was more of a statement rather than a question – she knew his habits of running into things well by now. He gave a watery smile.

"I don't have a choice. I made you a promise." He said. Leia turned towards a set of supply creates to her side and picked up something that looked like cloth.

"Here, it's Ben's old one, but it will fit." She helped him pull the jacket on as if he were a small child she still cared for every need of. The jacket was a faded navy colour and a little long in the arms, but otherwise was in good condition and fit him fine. He zipped up the jacket halfway and stood in front of his mother, who pulled him in for a tight embrace. His lightsaber dug into the side of his leg as he wrapped his arms around in response.

"I only want you to promise me one thing, Anakin." She said in his ear, as she currently refused to let him go. "Promise me that you will come home to me. I don't want to have to lose you all over again. Promise me that, Son."

"I will. I promise that I will come home." She pulled back and clasped his shoulders and looked up to her teenage son.

"You look so much like your father. At least you got my level-head." She said quietly with a smile.

"I can't really say anything to that." He said and she rubbed his arms.

"You make me proud, Anakin Organa Solo. Know that, okay?" He nodded and she clasped his head and pressed her lips to his forehead before guiding him over to where Han stood at the base of the Millennium Falcon's access ramp. She handed her son over to his father who clasped a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Take care of him out there, Han." She said.

"Don't worry – we'll both be back soon. A promise is a promise." He said with the old grin he used to play about with when their children had been younger and happiness seemed present. The two Solo's turned and followed Chewie and Finn up into the ship and closed the ramp.

"You ready kid?" Han asked before they made their way into the cockpit.

"I'm ready." Anakin said, straightening his back before he followed his father through the ship. This was it – he would bring Ben Solo home or die trying.

 **Done! Another chapter over. A little tense towards the end. Hopefully people enjoyed it. If you did please don't be afraid to tell me. The next chapter will always be better, as I hope you all come back for more. So, until chapter 15:**

 **May the Force be with you!**


	15. The Monster Within

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **Hey guys – sorry for a late update, but believe me, it should be worth it. I've been working on this one for a while now and it's going to be a turning point. If any of you have watched this film as many time as I have you will know what happens here. With some modifications to the movie, I present you with chapter 15:**

The _Millennium Falcon_ began it's pre-flight routine as Anakin sat himself in the seat directly behind Han Solo, buckling himself in. Han and Chewie worked on the console whilst Finn's former Stormtrooper protocol checked over his blaster for any pending malfunctions. Anakin's heart rate was slowly climbing at the prospect of more adrenaline and danger, and in his stomach he couldn't shift the notion that something that would change the course of everything was about to occur.

"Chewie double check the Hyperdrive. We don't want to crash and burn out there." Han Solo's words were echoes mostly as Anakin closed his eyes and reached out to find Rey's glowing presence. Even across the galaxy he could vaguely sense her. Kylo Ren would never have this ability; he was too steeped in the Dark Side to be able to focus on anything Light for too long. But that would soon change. Anakin focused on Rey's bright point in the galaxy, as she was slowly draped in darkness. Kylo Ren was in close proximity to her – possibly he was in front of her, interrogating her, or who knows what else. He took a deep breath and centred himself as his rusty skills tried to focus on everything Rey was feeling.

 _Cold. The metal that was up against the exposed skin of her hands and neck were so cold. Metals on Jakku had always been warm and warped from the sun's heat. Her eyes snapped open as the dark invaded her mind to bring her forwards. Her breathing became erratic and she noticed the shadow watching her from directly ahead._

" _Where am I?" Anakin heard Rey's voice echo in his ears as if he were physically inside her head. He could feel the fear crawling in her stomach, the pumping adrenaline, and also the distaste for her captor._

" _You're my guest." The metallic voice stung with it's irony. Rey's heart beat heavily._

" _Where are the others?" Her fear of the masked man drained away at the thought of her friends being captured – or worse._

" _You mean the murderers, traitors and thieves you call friends? You'll be relieved to hear I have no idea." Rey's heart did a small flutter of relief before clenching again. "You still want to kill me."_

" _That happens when you're being hunted by a creature in a mask." She said, her voice a sheet of iron. Anakin's stomach twisted. Don't take off the mask. Don't take off that mask. He didn't want Rey to know him this way. He wanted her to know Ben, not now, not when he was possessed by Kylo Ren. But he felt Rey's anxiety climb and he knew Ren was reaching to remove the mask. One click sounded in their shared ears and Anakin felt Rey's stomach dropped. The similarity between them was undeniable. She would click in moments who he was._

" _You're-" She started but held back the rest of her words as Kylo Ren dropped his mas carelessly into a pit of ashes. He came closer and closer. Across the galaxy Anakin could feel his dark presence get closer to Rey. The scavenger turned her head slightly as not to look at him – he looked too much like Anakin. If she stared for too long she would mistake this creature for his sibling and tell him whatever he wanted to know._

" _Tell me about the droid." Ren's smooth voice demanded and Rey refused to make permanent eye contact._

" _He's a BB unit with a selenium drive and a hyperscan vindicator-"_

" _-carrying a section of a navigational chart. We have the rest – recovered from the archives of the Empire – but we need the last piece, and somehow you convinced the droid to give it to you. You: a Scavenger." Ren eyed her wearily, as if unable to understand what was so special about the girl in front of him. "You know I can take whatever I want." He stated before Anakin felt the darkness seep into Rey's mind like a virus. She did all she could to fight it off. She had no Force training of any sort, yet she was slowly pushing him away before he even realised it. Anakin felt the dark spread towards where he lay in Rey's mind like a virus. The Dark touched him for a second before Ren retreated from Rey's mind at sensing his brother. Rey had no clue what caused him to snap back, but before she could delve into her own mind Anakin withdrew._

His eyes opened and he found himself in the juddering cockpit of the _Millennium Falcon_. Finn was leaning over the pilots seat to speak to Han and Chewie. It seemed they hadn't noticed his absent mind, nor did they notice him thinking deeply why he had such a clear connection to Rey's mind – she was had a strong Force presence with no training, but he still shouldn't have been able to so easily access her mind.

Although he had physically not been in the room with the two, Anakin felt a wave of guilt for abandoning Rey the second Kylo sensed him in her mind. He should have latched himself there and helped her. He could now only hope that Rey could look after herself – Ren would make sure he never got back where he didn't want him, whether physically or mentally.

Anakin came out of his thoughts long enough to hear Finn say "We're making our approach at Lightspeed?"

"Wait – what?" Anakin said, standing suddenly until his safety line kept him buckled to the seat. "Ow! You can't be seriously trying this-" but Han Solo decided to show he was serious by pulling his ship out of Lightspeed there and then. Finn and Anakin were thrown about in there seats as they shot into the planet's atmosphere. Chewie wailed loudly as they tried to stop the ship from crashing into the landscape.

"I am pulling up!" Han yelled as the ship shot upwards and grazed the edge of the cliff side, crashing into a number of trees as the _Falcon_ skidded across the snowcapped land dangerously. Chewie wailed again.

"If I go any higher they'll see us!" Han bellowed as the ship continued to slam into trees and pulling their roots from the ground. Anakin was certain his head was close to snapping off from his neck as they were violently thrown side to side before bursting from within the forest and the ship crashing into the snow and sliding across the terrain towards the edge of a cliff, slowly coming to a halt right on the edge.

"Well...that was a happy landing." Anakin grumbled as he removed his belt. He was certainly surprised to feel his head on his shoulders and his intestines within his stomach still. He breathed heavily in his seat and looked to his right to see Finn equally shaken. Chewbacca was shaking his head in dismay at his friend's landing.

"Tell me again how you got your pilots license, Solo." Finn gasped as he stood on shaky legs.

"He never got one," Anakin said as Han and Chewie left the cockpit. "That should tell you enough."

"You've got to be kidding me." He heard Finn sigh as they two departed the ship after Han and Chewie, who were at the bottom of the access ramp, surveying the land. Everywhere was snow. Anakin huddled inside his jacket and now grateful for his mother handing him it. Han himself had pulled on a thick coat which was suited to their environment.

"Their scanners wouldn't have detected us coming in that low," Han said.

"No, but they might have heard the mess we made." Anakin pointed to the trail of uprooted trees and debris they had caused. Chewie grumbled and Han rolled his eyes.

"Don't agree with the boy, Chewie." Han said, but there was a slight hint of humour in his voice despite the occasion. "Right, we've got to head that way. Watch out for any sort of patrol." The four of them trekked across the thick lumps of snow up hills of rock and ice towards what seemed the surface entrance to the base.

"You alright kid?" Han asked as they all jogged upwards. Han Solo clearly wasn't as spry as he used to be.

"Better than you old man." Anakin couldn't help himself as he continued upwards. They finally clambered to the top and leaned against the side of a blackened wall, the snow hurling in their face now.

"The flooding tunnel is over that ridge," Finn said, nodding in the right direction which was several paces a head of the. "We will get in that way."

"What was your job when you were based here?" Han asked as they all caught their breath. Anakin huddled up against Chewie as the cold seeped through their skins. Even the hairy Wookie was shivering in the cold.

"Sanitation." Finn said. Han Solo looked ready to kill.

" _Sanitation?_ " He hissed. "And how do you know how to disable the shields?"

"I don't. I'm just here to get Rey." Han turned to Anakin.

"Did you know about this?"

"I'm not his personal protocol droid! No offence Finn," Anakin said through chattering teeth. "You should have said."

"You wouldn't have let me come aboard otherwise."

"Hey, I want to rescue her just as much as you do."

"Okay, stop right there." Han held up his hands. Chewie grumbled something under his breath about 'cold' as he kept an eye out for patrols. "There are people counting on us. The _galaxy_ is counting on us."

"Solo, we'll figure it out," Finn said, though Anakin thought he didn't sound very convinced. "We'll use the Force." Silence overtook the remaining three. Chewie turned his head slowly to look down at Finn and Anakin felt he could have laughed had the situation not been serious.

" _That's not how the Force works._ " Han said. "Is it?" He asked his son.

"No – it's not that helpful, unfortunately." Chewie grumbled again, this time loud enough for them all to hear.

"Oh really, _you're cold_?" Han asked in disbelief, as if regretting his choice of crew for this mission. They took a moment to gather their bearing before following Finn's lead towards the flooding tunnel. It took longer than they would have liked in their time sensitive circumstances, but they soon accessed the tunnel and clambered down the maintenance shaft before reaching a lift, which was thankfully heated. Han shed his coat and Chewie shook loose snow droplets from his hair. Anakin unzipped his jacket and placed his hands over the heater to regain feeling in his fingers as the lift descended.

"Right, get ready, there will be patrols around here." Finn said as he held his blaster ready, as did Han. Anakin removed his new Lightsaber from his belt and held it ready, though when the lift doors opened, it was Chewie with his Bowcaster that knocked the single Stormtrooper from their feet and across the corridor.

"Nice shot." Anakin smiled at his Uncle's good aim. Chewie shrugged modestly and they scurried from the lift.

"The longer we're here, the less luck we're going to have." Han said as they took in their surroundings. He could sense the flicker of Rey's presence within the base, but also the consuming dark of Kylo Ren. He knew they were here. Anakin turned to tell Han but was cut off as Han asked about the shields.

"I have an idea about that," Finn said and they once again followed him through the maze of Starkiller base. They didn't have to go too far to find out what Finn's idea was.

"We need something to hit her pretty hard," Finn said as they crouched down at the far end of the corridor, the footsteps of the approaching Captain Phasma getting closer.

"I got an idea," Anakin said as Phasma's footfalls got louder. "I'm sorry about this Chewie." The Wookie looked confused, as did Han and Finn until Phasma came into their line of sight and Anakin waved his hand in the Captain's direction and his Wookie Uncle flew through the air with a disgruntled growl, clashing into the shiny armoured trooper. The pair fell to the floor and Phasma was dazed enough for them to drag her into an adjoining corridor, safe from other patrols.

"Not a bad idea kid," Han said, despite Chewie's loud cries of furious protest.

"I said sorry." Anakin shrugged up at the Wookie as Phasma groaned from behind her helmet as the sudden shock wore off. The masked tilted up as she realised she was being held by a particularly strong Wookie and Han Solo's blaster was aimed at her masked face as well as Anakin's flickering Lightsaber blade. At seeing the glowing white blade next to her head, Phasma made a sound from within her helmet of clear disgust – looks like the First Order did enjoy training their troopers with anit-Jedi protocol.

"Remember me?" Finn said as he shot up in front of Phasma's face.

"FN-2187." Phasma said without any hint of emotional indicator in her voice as she rattled the code name off.

"Not anymore, the name's Finn. And I'm in charge now, Phasma, I'm in charge." Finn said joyously with a grin.

"Bring it down kid, bring it down." Han said as he cast an eye around their surroundings should any trooper be hiding in the shadows.

"Okay." Finn said, composing himself. "Follow me." He said, clearly enjoying having authority over Phasma. Finn lead the way, sneaking past patrolling troopers who were unaware of their captain's sudden predicament. They reached an unguarded room which seemed to house the main controls for the planet's defensive shields. Finn pushed Phasma into the main seat and pointed his blaster at the back of her head.

"You want me to blast that bucket off your head? Lower the shields." Finn said as he continued to aim his blaster at Phasma in hopes of getting her to lower the shields.

"We don't have much time left." Anakin said as he stuck his head outside the door to scan the corridor.

"I know, this is risky as it is." Han said back. "What can you...you know, sense?"

"Nothing good, that's for sure." Anakin replied before closing the door behind him.

"Is he here?" Han asked. He didn't have to say a name.

"Yeah. He's here. And he knows we're here too." Han sighed through his nose as he turned back to Finn, who had successfully gotten Phasma to lower the shields.

"Solo, if this works, we're not going to have a lot of time to find Rey."

"Don't worry – we won't leave here without her." Han said with a wan smile.

"She wouldn't forgive us if we did leave her here." Anakin said before the bleeping console distracted them – the shields were completely lowered.

"You can't have been so stupid to think this would be so easy." Phasma said as she rose from her seat. "My troops will storm this block and kill you all."

"I disagree," Finn said. "What do we do with her?"

Han stepped forward. "Is there a garbage chute? Trash compactor?" Anakin and Finn's faces cracked into matching grins.

"Yeah there is." Finn said and two minutes later, Anakin pulled open the grate that lead to the garbage chute before Phasma was unceremoniously tossed down by Chewie with a growl of a goodbye. Phasma yelled as she followed the trash compactor downwards to the pit of the base.

"Have a nice stay, and thanks for your help!" Anakin called after her before replacing the grate. "I always loved that story you told about you, Mom and Uncle Luke in that trash compactor." Anakin smiled as the grate slotted back in place.

"Well that's two problems taken care of now," Han said.

"We need to start looking for Rey. Now."

"Well kid, you've worked here. Where abouts do you think she'll be?" Han asked and Finn stood and thought for a moment.

"This way." he said as he lead them down some metal steps just as an alarm sounded around the base.

"Poe must be leading the attack now. He sure is on time." Anakin said as they continued to run down the corridors after Finn. Anakin reached out and was sure they were going the right way, but Kylo Ren was also in this general direction.

They reached a junction and came to a halt outside some blast doors where several Stormtroopers would certainly be stations.

"What's the plan now?" Anakin asked as his nerves began to filter through.

"We'll use the charges to blow that blast door," Finn said, describing a plan as quickly as he could but Anakin noticed Han wasn't paying much attention and was nodding towards the viewport behind them.

"Why're you doing that, hm?" Finn said as he imitated Han. "I'm trying to come p with a plan." Anakin followed Han's eye sight and saw the wavering sun-bleached robes. Anakin grabbed Finn's shoulders and turned him to face the view port to see what they were seeing – Rey was scaling the side of the hanger bay.

"She's got guts, sure enough of that." Anakin said before they rushed off through a different set of blast doors, nearly encountering several troopers, but successful until the nearly ran into Rey herself, who gripped her blaster tighter upon running into someone, her eyes widening in shock until she recognised their faces.

"Whoa!" Anakin hissed as the blaster came close to his face.

"You alright?" Finn asked as Rey steadied her breathing. "Did he hurt you?" Anakin tilted his head away for a moment as Finn fussed over Rey.

"I'm fine. What are you doing here?" She asked.

"We came to get you," He said and Chewie growled a more in depth answer.

"What did he say?" Finn asked as Rey's eyes softened.

"He said it was your idea." She said lightly before pulling Finn in for a tight hug, which may have knocked the wind out of the trooper. "Thank you." She said. Anakin turned to head towards Han and Chewie but Rey's other hand pulled him into her side and his face was squashed against her shoulder as she towered over him by a couple of inches. She didn't have to say why she had pulled him in for a hug, but Anakin could sense what was on her mind and he was grateful for the embrace.

"How did you escape?" Finn asked.

"I can't explain it." Rey said. "And you wouldn't believe it." Anakin grinned into her robes – he would have to explain to her what it was she was gifted with. It was something to look forward to.

Their embrace, however, was cut dismally short.

"Escape now, hug later?" Han suggested and they all ran backwards the maintenance lift in the flooding tunnel, which they came. Finn kept a grip on Rey's hand the whole time, and, unlike when they first met, she didn't protest. They reached the lift and Chewie handed Han back his thermal jacket before they re-entered the frozen surface, growling something alone the lines of _"You're going to this this again."_ As the lift rose, Anakin zipped his jacket up tightly.

The cold air smacked their faces and shards of snow hit their faces as the trudged through the snow, Rey shivering more than any of them due to her thin robes from Jakku and her nature to a warmer climate. The sun was still glaring, but had dimmed considerably as the base consumed it's power. X-Wing fighters could be seen skimming the air in battle with TIE fighters that fired manically. Ships were falling to the ground in clouds of snow and burning ash. It seemed already half of the Resistance's fleet had been destroyed in the fire.

"They're in trouble – we can't leave." Han said as they all came to a stop on their way back to the _Millennium Falcon_ as another X-Wing came crashing to the ground.

"What do we do?" Anakin asked.

Han turned to face them. "My friend has a bag full of explosives," Han nodded to Chewie. "Lets use them." The waded through the snow towards a different surface access point.

"You two go around and use the higher point," Han said as he pointed towards an entrance point on the far side of the surface construction. "Us three will head in this way and line up the charges. Make sure we're not interrupted. Do what you can to make our way inside easier, look for the control room or something Got it?" Rey and Finn nodded before Han tugged on Anakin's jacket sleeve and the three headed inside. They managed to blast their way inside, only needing to take out two Stormtroopers to keep things quiet.

They stood outside a service door for only a few moments before it slid open. It seemed Rey and Finn had found where they needed to go.

"Girl knows her stuff, come on." The three of them charged through. Anakin's stomach was beginning to flip-flop uncomfortably as the growing tension inside his head continued. Whatever was going to happen next wasn't going to be good. They ran down the narrow pipe-coated corridor before reaching the gangway that overlooked the reactor of the oscillator.

"We'll set the charges against every other column." Han started until Chewie suggested otherwise.

"Your right, that's a better idea." Han said. Anakin looked over the barrier and over the walkway to the dark fall below. He would not like to fall down there.

"You hear that kid?" Han asked and Anakin snapped out of his trance. "Chewie will line them up here. We're below. I go right, you go left, got it?" Anakin nodded as did Chewie who ran off after Han handed him the detonator. "You alright son?" Han asked as Chewie left to begin with his charges.

"Yeah, it's just-I don't know." The sickness was swelling in his stomach and he desperately wanted to leave and drag Chewie and his father with him. Han clamped a hand on Anakin's shoulder as they snuck down the steps.

"It'll be alright, just do what you do best – blow it up." Han said with a smile.

"That was one time." Anakin said, rolling his eyes as Han clapped his shoulder before leaving and heading in the opposite direction. Anakin snuck between columns and placed the charges here and there, pressing their centre button to ready them for when they would press the detonator. Suddenly, the room was swarming with Stormtroopers and Anakin hid himself behind a half wall as they began poking around and the dark sensation began to crush on his mind. Anakin peered from behind the wall and saw the back of his brother mere feet from him. But Ren did not turn around and notice him. He walked along the side of the railing and climbed onto the gangway. Anakin hissed a sigh of relief at not being found until he saw Han jump out from behind a column not too far away. He waved his hands to tell Han to go back, that a trooper may see him, but Han didn't see his youngest behind the wall. Instead he watched the eldest striding across the gangway and Han ran to the foot of the metal bridge.

"No!" Anakin hissed but it was too late.

"BEN!" Kylo Ren came to a halt on the pathway and turned around as Han stepped up onto the path.

"Han Solo." The metallic voice rang. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

Slowly, Han stepped forward. Anakin crawled out from his hiding spot into plain view. Ren would see him clearly, as proven as his mask tilted to the side a mere moment. Han would see Anakin in the corner of his eye, but he focused solely on the son in front of him.

"Take off that mask. You don't need it." He said defiantly. Stepping forward, Han's footsteps echoed around the cavernous room. A blast of cold air on his neck told Anakin that Finn and Rey had finally entered through the higher access point. Cold light cast over the confrontation on the gangway as Han continued to step forwards.

"What do you think you'll see if I do?" Kylo asked.

"The face of my son." Han said. Kylo Ren hesitated for a moment before reaching up and the mask came off in the dim light of the outsides draining light.

"Your son, is gone." Ren nearly spat. "He as weak and foolish like his father," Ren's head turned slightly. "Like his brother, so I destroyed him."

Han continued forward. "That's what Snoke wants you to believe. But it's not true." He came to a stop. "My son is alive."

"No. The Supreme Leader is wise."

Anakin slowly edged his way towards the foot of the gangway and placed one foot on the end, his footstep echoing as did Han's. Han held out a hand behind his back, never breaking eye contact with his first born son the whole time. The hand gesture told Anakin to stay put, but his clenching gut whispered at him to run towards them. But he listened. He listened to his father. Perhaps his mother was right, perhaps Han Solo could bring Ben home.

"Snoke is using you for your power. Once he gets what he wants he'll crush you. You know it's true." Han took a few more cautious steps forward and stopped at a closer distance to Kylo. The Master Knight watched his father carefully, not breaking eye contact either. His next words came in such a hushed whisper that Anakin was lucky to catch them.

"It's too late."

"No it's not. Leave here with me: come home. We miss you."

Kylo Ren stayed silent for a moment, as if the words of how he felt were locked in a cage, deep down and he forgotten how to find them.

"I'm being torn apart." His voice quivered slightly. "I want to be free of this pain. I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I have the strength to do it. Will you help me?"

Han answered almost instantly. "Yes. Anything." These seemed to be the words that were needed most. The metal mask that hid Ben Solo's face fell to the gangway with a loud echoing clatter and Ren himself slowly looked into the eyes of his father. He slowly unclipped the cross-guard saber from his weapons belt and reached out to hand it to Han.

Han grasped the Lightsaber as the light he flooded the room suddenly drained away completely. Han and Ben's faces were only lit by the emergency lights along the gangway railing. Until the burst of light from the suddenly activated lightsaber glowed in the room as it was thrust forward, and plunged into Han Solo's chest.

Chewie roared, and Rey screamed, but Anakin heard none of this as he saw the tip of the lightsaber produce from his father's back.

No.

No.

No.

 _NO._

The saber was pulled from Han's chest.

Kylo Ren whispered something in the dark to his dying father.

Chewie was yelling.

Blaster fire was everywhere.

But Anakin heard, nor saw any of this. His legs were like lead but he somehow managed to force them into a sprint across the gangway. But it was too late. Han Solo had fallen. His body had fallen to the pit of the reactor. His feet came to a halt merely a pace from Ren, whose eyes were wide and the saber still in his hand. Chewie's bowcaster released a blast that skimmed Anakin's ear and reached the side of Ren's ribcage. He doubled over in pain for a moment ad mania erupted. Kylo Ren managed to bring himself back up as Starkiller base began to judder. Chewie had activated the detonator and everything behind Anakin went up in flames.

 _NO._

Kylo Ren stared at him and tried to murmur something through his teeth gritted in pain.

" _You monster!"_ Anakin heard his insides scream and he charged forwards. He didn't reach for his saber, all he had were his bare hands, but they were nothing. Ren pulled himself up into a full standing position.

" _No!_ No more! I've done it! I've proven it! I've come too far now!" He yelled and pushed his young brother back, his deactivated saber in his hand. But Anakin threw himself forward as the saber re-activated. The skin of his lower stomach erupted in burning pain. He looked down and saw the saber implanted in his side, before it was painfully wrenched and his vision began to die away. As one hand clutched at the bleeding wound in his stomach, the other hand grasped at whatever it could as he fell to his knees on the floor of the gangway.

He even grasped at Ren's robes, but as his senses died away he didn't feel the strong grip of a gloved hand encase his own as he fell to the metal grating.

 **Okay, so I hope that went as well with you guys as I hope it has. Don't fret, that is not the end – as far from the end as you can get. I have got serious plans for the rest of this story. I am happy to say I am going to try and continue past the end of the Force Awakens, but until then, enjoy the torment this chapter is supposed to have caused and I'll see you all next time.**

 **May the Force be with you.**


	16. Hope

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **Hey guys – new chapter time! I hope you liked this one as much as people liked the last one. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and followed since the last chapter :) So let's get on with it!**

 _Anakin's eyes fluttered open slowly as the mother of all headaches began to leave it's mark. He let out an unintelligible gurgle and pulled himself up. His mind was blank for a moment until the lack of searing pain in his side caught his attention. His hands pawed his skin but found nothing, no marred flesh, no blood, no lightsaber wound._

" _You're not supposed to be here." Anakin snapped his head up and was greeted by the frown of a blond male who was much taller than him. There were peculiar things about this man – a familiar face, a scar over his right eye, the robes that resembled that of a Jedi. But the thing that caught Anakin Solo's attention the most was the faint blue hue around him._

" _Um, what the-" Anakin looked around and saw nothing but fog around him. In the distance he could see the vague outline of what seemed to be structures and other people._

" _You're confused. Here." The man extended a hand which, upon close inspection, seemed nearly transparent. But when Anakin grasped it, it was as firm as a solid hand. The man helped him to his feet._

" _You're not fully here, but why-" The man murmured to himself as he circled Anakin._

" _Who are you? What is this place?" Anakin asked, his hand still running over where the lightsaber of Kylo Ren had pierced his skin. That had only been seconds ago. How was he suddenly here? Was he-?_

" _You're not dead. Do not worry yourself." The man said as plainly as if Anakin had spoken his worries aloud. "This place – it has no name. How could such a place? But you're not staying here, it's not your time." The man finally stopped circling Anakin and stood in front of him._

" _What – who even are you?" Anakin demanded to know. He was on the edge of his nerves. His mind kept trying to replay the last few moments in his head but he refused to accept the image of Han Solo – no!_

" _The man smiled lightly and extended his hand again in a way of greeting. "It is nice to meet you Anakin Solo. My name is Anakin, also." Their hands grasped and Anakin watched the man who shared his name – his face was surely familiar. He had the striking appearance of his Uncle Luke when he last saw him, but Luke had been older._

" _Anakin...Anakin what?" Although he had a very good idea of the man's surname, and it made him wonder how he had gotten here._

" _Anakin Skywalker. I believe you were named after me." The man said and clasped hands on his grandson's shoulders. "I was shocked when your mother named you that – but I had never felt so forgiven in my life. She was willing to give me a chance – through you."_

" _I still don't understand – why am I here? Am I actually dead?" Anakin's eyes moved past his grandfather to the distance behind him – if he was...would his father be here too. He moved one foot forward but he was stopped._

" _No. You are not dead. But...Han Solo isn't here, Anakin." His grandfather said. "This is the place for Force-sensitive beings. I'm afraid Han Solo has passed on to somewhere else." Young Anakin closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. He wouldn't even see his father again after death – he'd be alone._

" _He will be fine," Anakin Skywalker said, lowering slightly to his grandson's height. "My wife...she will look after him." Anakin opened his eyes. He had heard plenty of his grandmother from both Luke and Leia. "She was not Force-sensitive either, but she will care for him, I promise."_

" _If I'm not dead, why am I here?" Anakin asked and his name's origin shrugged._

" _I have no idea – people always said the Force works in mysterious ways. Maybe it wanted us to meet now rather than later."_

" _But why?"_

" _Why? Because hope, you have lost." Anakin's head swivelled around as he looked for the source of the new voice and saw a small creature hobbling from behind his grandfather. It seemed other figures from the distance were wandering over._

" _What are you?" Anakin asked as his grandfather tried to hide a chuckle. The small green creature wasn't amused and jabbed him hard with a knobbly walking stick._

" _Ow!"_

" _Hmm. You believe it to be over. Your brother, no redemption in him." The older Anakin ceased his chuckle at once at the mention of his eldest grandson._

" _He just killed our father!" Anakin exclaimed, not caring for the other Force-sensitives coming this way. The elder Anakin held his grandson at bay as Yoda probed him._

" _To come, further things are. To give in so easily, rash and reckless you are."_

" _Does he always talk like this?" Anakin asked his grandfather. "All cryptic and stuff?"_

" _I'm afraid so." Skywalker sighed. "But he's right – as usual – don't give up on him now. Anakin, Ben is in there. I never wanted him to follow that part of me, Force forbid it. But he can still come back, I've seen it. I've done it. He's trying to protect you."_

" _Protect me?" Anakin felt his jaw close to dropping. "He cares for nothing but himself and Snoke!"_

" _Hmm. Easily fooled you are." Yoda said, his small eyes narrowed._

" _Oh leave me alone." Anakin grumbled and wished for some sort of exit to appear, but all there was around was white mist._

" _Listen to me Anakin, Ben can come back – but he needs your help. You feel responsible for not being there to stop him turning. Well you can help him turn back. It is possible."_

" _Your grandfather is living proof." Another voice said as a hand clamped itself over Anakin Skywalker's shoulder. Anakin looked and saw the beaming, yet worn face, of a man with auburn hair and blue eyes._

" _You're-"_

" _Obi-Wan Kenobi. But I believe your parents and Uncle knew me as Ben." Obi-Wan smiled slightly as Anakin grasped the man's hand._

" _This is getting stranger every second." Anakin murmured to himself._

" _Anakin – listen. I very nearly destroyed the galaxy. Your uncle saved me, and you can save your brother. He needs you more than you ever needed him." Anakin rested his hands on his grandson's shoulders once again and blue eyes met brown. Despite their shared names – they were nothing alike. But Anakin would stride to be the great Jedi his mother had named him in hope of._

" _Okay – I will try."_

" _No – do or do not." The small creature spoke again. "-there is no try." Anakin briefly gained a glimpse of the many others who came into view before the white mist was covering his eyes and they were gone._

 **/STAR WARS/**

If Anakin could say anything as of now, he would say it was dreadfully cold. He was barely aware of anything else than the cold of his face and the burning sensation in his side. His senses came slowly back and he heard the fire power and crackle of the burning Starkiller base. Next thing he noticed was that he seemed to be upside down somehow.

"Almost there." A voice grunted near his ear and his eyes slowly opened. He felt heavier and more sluggish in this world than the one he must have experienced inside his head. If he had not already known how strange the Force was, he would have said what he had seen had been an episode of shock and a comatose state. Anakin blinked and saw the thick black hair of a head next to his face. It took him a moment to realise that Kylo Ren, who was staggering from his own injury, had slung his younger brother over both his shoulders and was carrying him from the base, legs one side of Ren's head and Anakin's arms and own head on the other side. He tried to say something but words failed him.

"Sir – we need to evacuate now!" Several Stormtroopers came into Anakin's field of vision. Kylo removed the hand that was holding onto his brother to halt the troopers.

"You will care for the boy – he needs medical attention, now! I will return shortly." Ren lowered himself, hissing in pain and handed Anakin over to the troopers. Anakin kept his eyes closed and prayed Ren hadn't sensed his consciousness. Finn and Rey – he was going to finish them off. He couldn't let that happen – it would only push Ben further away. As the troopers pulled him into a landed ship, Anakin caught a glimpse of Kylo Ren's sweat stained face. He looked near delusional. He refused help for the wound caused by Chewie's bowcaster, which would most certainly be painful. Anakin closed his eyes quickly just as Kylo glanced down at him once more before the Knight of Ren vanished into the dark woods littered in snow.

"Puncture wound left side of the body, no vital organs are damaged, but -" The trooper assessing his wound went flying from Anakin's form and as the other's removed blaster's from their holsters, the weapons were forcibly thrown away and they too flew through the air and banged against the side of the shuttle Ren had carried him too.

What was most concerning was Kylo Ren didn't want him dead – he had said himself on Takodana that Supreme Leader Snoke had ordered his demise. Why was Kylo Ren refusing order's from his master? Did that mean Ben was closer than he thought?

Anakin pulled himself off the bunk and looked under his blood stained shirt. He grasped within the medical box and badly applied a small bacta-patch and administered a pain-relief shot. It was lucky there was no exit wound. It wouldn't hold for long but he needed to find Rey and Finn and get off this base before the Resistance blew it sky-high.

He stumbled through the snow and knew exactly what direction to run in – Rey's presence was dangerously close to Kylo Ren's, and Finn would be with her. His lightsaber was, thankfully, still buckled to his belt. Clearly Kylo Ren had thought him too weak to try and fight back. Or had Ben swayed him somehow? Who knew, but right now he needed to get his friends off this base. In the distance, the hum of a lightsaber echoed over the sound of the planet's internal destruction.

He forced his legs to move faster through the thick snow as the pain relief soon numbed his wound, but also everything else. He barely felt the cold snow land on his flushed face or the heat radiating from the melting base. The sound of the lightsaber was closer now, until he heard Finn's anguished cry:

"Rey!" Anakin leaned against a tree to catch his breath and glimpsed through the trees to see Finn rush over to Rey's fallen body, as Kylo pounded on his flesh wound. Finn wouldn't sense the dark power it gave him, feeding off the pain of the splintered skin. Finn checked over their friend's life signs and Anakin was relieved to still feel Rey's strong, pulsing presence through the Force.

Kylo approached, swinging his saber tauntingly. "TRAITOR!" He screeched, his eyes mad as all the dark within him was slowly taking over. Finn hovered over Rey for a few seconds before leaping to his feet and unhooking something from his own belt – a lightsaber. Anakin wondered for a moment where Finn had found a lightsaber, but it's origin was revealed by Kylo Ren, who was ready to lunge as black fire erupted from him.

"That lightsaber – it belongs to _me!"_ He hissed to his new opponent.

"Come and get it then." Finn said and was determined as he swung at Kylo. The Master Knight clearly hadn't expected this of Finn, but indulged in this fight, their sabers swinging and sparks glowing in the snow, highlighting the frozen vegetation. Anakin watched as they continued to parry to each other's movements before he dashed from the trees towards where Rey was slowly stirring.

"Rey? Rey!" He hissed into the snow less Kylo notice his arrival. Rey let out a small groan and her eyes flickered open.

"Anakin! Finn – where is he." Anakin slowly looked over to where, in the distance, two coloured blades clashed in the white of the snow.

"Finn!" Rey hissed before clutching at Anakin's shirt. "Anakin – Han. I'm so -"

"Later – right now we need to get off this planet – Poe will have to fire as soon as they see the hole in the oscillator." But Rey continued to stare at him, her mouth slightly agape and snow nestling in her hair. "What?"

"He's your brother, isn't he." She knew – it was plain as day. He simply nodded. "You can't fight him – he'll kill you." She nodded to his badly applied bacta-patch.

"No, I won't last two minutes with him right now. But you can."

"Me?" Rey said as he helped her from the snow. She moved to quickly retrieve her blaster, but Anakin called it to his hand instead.

"Rey – I know how you escaped from those troopers. You told them to let you go – didn't you?" Rey silently nodded as she looked at the blaster that Anakin had called.

"It's the Force, isn't it? Maz told me."

"You have it, Rey. You're more powerful than any of us – more powerful than Ren. You need to fight him."

"But you don't want me to kill him..." She trailed off as the sound of a lightsaber clash was particularly sharp.

"No...but it calls to you...you can do this." Anakin clutched at his side as it began to burn and blood stained the palm of his hand, but he merely wiped it on his jacket. "You-"

Anakin was cut off by the screams from Finn, who was pushed against a tree as Kylo's cross-guard bared into the skin, before being wrenched away and the saber following the curve of Finn's spine.

"No!" Rey cried as Finn fell, his back smoking slightly. Kylo Ren didn't hear her, however. Instead, he faced Finn's fallen saber and Anakin knew now who it belonged to. It was one of the few remaining artefacts of Anakin Skywalker's existence. But Kylo Ren didn't see Anakin Skywalker in the blue blade – he saw the beginnings of Darth Vader. The Knight of Ren extended his hand and called silently.

"Call for it." Anakin whispered to Rey as he focused on keeping the blade in the snow away from Kylo, but the silver hilt was already beginning to wobble.

Ice exhaled from Rey's lungs before she extended her own hand and she concentrated. The blade shook violently and shot from the snowy land, but flew past Kylo's outstretched hand. Ren's dark eyes followed the blade as it landed in the palm of Rey's hand. Kylo narrowed his eyes towards the scavenger girl who stood besides his brother, the girl who dared call _his_ possession to _her_ hand.

"You." He hissed. Anakin wasn't sure who he had directed those words to, but it didn't matter.

"Get to Finn – take him to to _Falcon_." Rey whispered before the blue blade hummed to life, sharp in the dark of the planet's atmosphere. Rey made the first move with her new weapon towards Ren and she positively glowed with the Force, that Anakin very nearly wished that he was still cut from it to avoid how bright she was. Kylo was distracted from him by Rey's pursuit, so the youngest Solo ran back towards his fallen friend and collapsed in the snow next to him.

"Finn – holy Force. Finn!" The damage was bad. He was no med-droid but even he could see the damaged inflicted would take time to heal. Several dunks in a bacta tank at the very least. He dared not turn him onto his back in case of further injury, but Anakin scavenged Finn's pockets for anything. One thing he did find was an active communicator, which was tied to the _Falcon_.

"Please someone be there." Anakin pleaded as he heard the clang of the sabers in the background. He unhooked his own from his belt and made a move towards the fight, but the pain relief in his side had faded away and he fell back into the snow. The bacta-patch fell away and a new stream of blood began. The pain was excruciating, but Anakin grit his teeth, and with shaking hands, tried to patch through to the _Millennium Falcon_ in hopes of reaching Chewbacca. Chewie. Anakin closed his eyes and thought of his non-biological uncle. He would be distraught after Han's death. _Dad._ Anakin held back the few tears and continued trying to patch through. Soon, several bleeps were transmitted. There was no reply, but if someone was in the cockpit, then they would be able to track the com to this very location. Anakin released the muscles in his neck and let the back of his head fall into the pile of snow behind him, the ice doing little to sooth the flaring heat of the wound.

"Dad. I'm so sorry." He whispered in the dark. His left hand clutched at the wound, hoping to stem some of the blood, as his other hand grasped Finn's limp hand.

"I'm so sorry Finn – Rey. Dad. Mom. BEN!" Anakin felt a tidal wave of flaring nerves as he clutched at the broken skin and panted heavily. His hand was completely submerged in blood and spots were dancing in his eyes. He needed to stay awake – for Rey. For Mom. For Ben. Anakin grappled around with e hand that wasn't holding onto Finn for the fallen Bacta-patch and tried to re-admission it to the skin. It wouldn't hold much back, but it helped slightly.

"Oh Force." He grunted and rolled to his side. He could still hear the clang of sabers, the crackle of Kylo's and Rey's shouts. The base was crumbling around them slowly. The long dead vegetation of the planet was going to be reduced to dust in a matter of minutes, he thought as X-Wings flew overhead. Looks like Poe was ordering the attack on the oscillator. Those who didn't evacuate would perish. Anakin only wished Snoke was planet-side, so the fearsome being that controlled so much would also perish. Blackness was playing before his eyes, and Anakin wasn't sure if he blacked out, or if he was simply looking at the sky. But soon he felt a hand on his chest and for a second he fear that Kylo Ren had defeated Rey. But his eyes opened and he was greeted by Rey's tear stained face. He smiled inwardly, knowing she had won, but Ren's presence was still intact.

He clutched at her hand as lights flooded the area, and as the land they were on started to crumble, the top of the Falcon was seen lifting into the air, Chewie clearly in the cockpit. But so alone.

Anakin lifted his head slightly to look about. There was no sigh of Kylo and Rey had noticed his awakening. He gave her a smile before resting his head back in the snow.

 **Boom! Chapter done! I hope the idea of meting the original Anakin was popular with you guys! If you liked it, please let me know. And I'll see you all next time!**

 **May the Force be with you!**


	17. Recovery

**One Light, One Dark**

 **Hello guys! I'm back and so sorry for the extended wait on this. I've had difficulty writing this chapter, and I'm afraid it isn't too good, but hopefully it will fill a hole until the next one when I get my writing motivation back.**

The Falcon soared into the atmosphere of D'Qar, which, after its victory, had become the brightest spot of hope in the galaxy. But Anakin was too close to slipping into unconsciousness to realise. The ramp lowered and Chewie carried Finn towards the medical team that was waiting.

"Come on," Rey said gently as she helped Anakin down the ramp. The young Jedi glanced back to the worn down ship, hoping for the impossible to see a figure charging down the ramp after them, as worn as his ship but beaming with the victory of his efforts.

Pilots and soldiers alike celebrated loudly with each other as the remaining X-Wings of the battle touched ground. Rey kept an arm around Anakin's waist, but was wary of the wound, as she helped towards the base – only one medical team had been available and Finn had been in a much worse state. The walked slowly through the crowds of cheers, all too wrapped in in their victory to notice them. As they pushed through several bodies, Anakin caught sight of a figure making their way over to them.

Anakin gently pushed Rey's hands of his side and he took several steps by himself towards his mother. Leia clutched her son tightly, aware of the hot blood from his wound leaking on to her clothing. She placed her arm around his shoulders and nodded to Rey who held his arm and in silence they walked into the base and down some rather difficult stone steps towards the medical bay. Ahead, they could see Finn being rushed into a room up ahead, several med-droid surrounding his immobile body.

"Finn." He heard Rey breathe. Her eyes followed Finn into the operating theatre.

"Go after him." Anakin said and her head snapped around, tightening her grip around his side as she did. "Really, Rey. Go to him. He needs you." Besides him, Leia nodded encouragingly in Finn's direction. Rey gave him a strong hug before running down the corridor and through the doors. Anakin and Leia continued down in silence until a doctor came out from one of the base's wards and helped. As soon as he was placed under the scrutiny of the doctor and a med-droid, he finally allowed unconsciousness to over take him.

" _Go away kid," said the older boy. Nine-year-old Anakin stood before the table, swamped in training robes far too big and sweat beading on his brow. His brother was sitting at the far end of the table, preferring to remain undisturbed, but Anakin had came over to the wrong side of the cafeteria. Younglings stayed at one end, and the older pupils at the other._

" _I want to sit with my brother." Anakin said, pointing out Ben, who looked up sullenly from stirring his tray of food around._

" _I said go away." The same boy said again._

" _He can sit." Ben said quietly. He rarely raised his voice around his classmates anymore, and several turned, as if forgetting what his voice sounded like. The boy grumbled and sat back down with his friends, and Anakin walked over with his own tray and sat next to Ben, beaming as his brother stuck up for him._

" _You know, Younglings sit over there." Ben said quietly as he nodded in the direction of the loud children, giggling uncontrollably at who knew what._

" _I know." Anakin said simply as he began his stew hungrily. "I wanted to see you. I never see you anymore."_

 _Ben merely hummed through his lips, as if pressing down on the urge to say something. But Anakin ignored this and ate his food. He was training more and more now that Uncle Luke had brought him up to scratch. Of course he called the man Grand Master like all other pupils in the temple, but in his head he was still old Uncle Luke who gave him piggy backs and sweet fruits before his dinner, despite his mother's strict orders._

 _Ben continued to stir his food aimlessly as his brother ate. Anakin stopped mid bite of his bread and watched his brothers face. He wasn't happy, but he didn't seem sad either. The young boy noted how his brother seemed far away in his own eyes, as if in the midst of a painful conversation with his psyche._

" _Are you okay Ben?" Anakin mumbled through a mouthful of food._

" _I'm fine. You're spraying crumbs." Ben muttered._

" _Are you sure?"_

" _Yes." Was all he got._

" _You just seem-"_

" _I'm fine, Anakin!" Ben's voice rang loud and all the boys on their table stopped everything to look. Even some on the nearby tables turned to look in awe._

" _Sorry – I – have my food." Ben pushed his tray towards his young brother before scarping his seat back and exiting the cafeteria hastily. Anakin momentarily contemplated the extra food before him, before scraping back his own seat and following his brother's direction. Once in the main entrance hall of the temple, Anakin lost trail of which direction Ben could have gone in. Thinking for a second, he decided to head towards the meditation gardens. It would be a start._

 _Anakin followed the now memorised corridors of the temple and barely glanced at the archives of the Jedi displayed along the walls as he did on his first night. He had been terrified, nearly at tears and ready to ask Luke to send him home. But Ben had been here. He wanted to be here with Ben. Ben made it all better. Anakin turned towards the entrance of the gardens when he nearly walked into Luke himself._

" _Anakin." Luke said with a fond smile as he observed his nephew. "Why aren't you in the cafeteria with the others? I thought Kantor Stew was your favourite."_

" _I'm looking for Ben. He seems a little upset. Have you seen him?" Luke's brow furrowed at the mention of his eldest, and only other nephew._

" _No I haven't. Why was he upset?" Luke lowered to one knee to establish eye contact._

" _I don't know. I think he's been avoid me and I don't know why." Anakin mumbled with a rather childish pout. Luke smiled fondly and ruffled the boy's locks._

" _I'm sure he's fine. Maybe he just wants a little alone time?" Anakin nodded in debated agreement and Luke nodded before heading off in the direction of the cafeteria, but instead of following in hopes of finishing his dinner, Anakin continued into the gardens._

 _They sat in the centre of the temple, bathed in rich sunlight and various plants of colours and shapes bloomed in full, stirring in the light breeze. The place was near deserted apart from two instructors who were tidying up after a group meditation. Anakin wandered deeper into the gardens, brushing past strong scents of nature and colours so bright they were nearly sickening._

 _He reached the farthest corner and found Ben, hugging his knees to his chest, his head bent over and breathing heavily. Anakin crouched beneath the wildlife and watched for a moment._

" _No – I can't -" Ben was muttering to himself. He swatted at his lengthening black hair as if brushing away hissing flies._

" _Please." He was whispering, as if the flowers would betray him. Anakin bit his lip as Ben hugged his knees closer to his chest and seemed to hold back a wash of tears._

" _Not them – please – not my brother -"_

 _Anakin didn't want to see this anymore. He crawled out from beneath the plants and ran back into the temple, several teachers calling him out for running in doors, but he paid no attention until he found a quiet, secluded passageway. Something wasn't right with Ben, he could feel it. And it didn't feel right at all._

"How are you feeling?" A voice whispered, as if any louder would damage his condition. Anakin opened a bleary eye and saw Poe sitting in the chair besides his bed, munching some fruits. Next to his feet, BB-8 was rolling back and forth as if the small droid was impatient.

"Like I've been under a stampede of bantha's. But apart from that, pretty good." Anakin managed a weak grin as he tried to pull himself up in the bed, before the pain overtook. BB-8 rolled up to the bed and released a set of commands in binary for him not to move. Poe chuckled as Anakin rolled his eyes.

"Don't move too much Ani. It's bad, but you were lucky. There isn't even an exit wound."

"Yeah, it was the cross guard that got me really." Anakin said as the memories of the dark chasm returned, spreading in his brain like a disease till it became too sickening to look at.

Poe must have realised what he was thinking as the pilot padded his leg.

"I'm sorry kid." Poe said quietly. "Rey – she told me everything. And the general confirmed it for me. Everything – it must be -"

"Don't. I don't want to talk about it." He said and shifted under the sheets. An awkward pause met them before Anakin turned back to face Poe to ask about how well his team did in destroying the oscillator.

Poe went into detail of all the formations his team had used. Not only did it seem to distract Anakin but also Poe seemed much brighter as he talked about piloting. The conversation was soon cut short by a med-droid who asked Poe to leave: visiting hours were over, and Anakin needed an examination.

"See you later kid. Maybe you can help me work on my X-Wing, she needs a lot of work. Come on BB-8." The little droid bleeped a goodbye before rolling after Poe. The medical droid asked Anakin to see if he could stand, and the young Jedi carefully pulled his feet out of bed and touched the cold, sterile floor. It hurt to move a bit, but the droid seemed satisfied that the Bacta-patches were working efficiently. The droid showed him to a refresher and instructed him to take a shower and that some foods would be brought up. When locked in the refresher, Anakin realised it had been a while since his last shower and was thankful for the hot water, though he did not spend too long. Once clean he turned the water off and leaned over the sink to stare at his reflection. He rubbed his cheek ruefully before turning away and pulling on a set of fresh clothes.

A set of back pants and a grey long sleeved shirt had been left for him. Ben's old jacket was hanging on the back of the door, blood still speckled on the lower left, but Anakin opted for a light hooded jacket of the same colour for now.

He left the bathroom and found his mother sat upon his bed, waiting. They made eye contact for a moment in silence. Anakin found it increasingly difficult to meet his mother's eyes until she left the bed and embraced him. He rested his face on her side and the two stood in the medical bay, wretched with loss.

"I miss him." Anakin whispered, as if daring to speak of it.

"So do I." Leia agreed as she held her son. "I will miss him everyday even more."

"I shouldn't have let him go out there -" Anakin began until his mother cut him off.

"When will you learn not everything is your fault? Chewie told me everything. Han went out there by his own choice; there was nothing you could have done. It's not your fault, Ani. It never was." Anakin tightened his arms around his mother and the two stood there until the medical droid returned and blatantly reminded them that visiting hours were over.

 **/STAR WARS/**

Poe had kept his word and once Anakin left the medical bay the next day he soon found himself beneath the belly of the one-man fighter repairing what he could. As he stripped down the burnt out auxiliary wires, he remembered all the times Han Solo had shown him how to do this very task on the Millennium Falcon. Anakin placed the wrench on the ground and sighed, his motivation for mechanics draining away as memories resurfaced. He was tired, irritated and not prepared for the flashbacks. He spent most of the night repeatedly waking up to the image of the red saber piercing his father's back.

There was movement above the ship and Anakin spied a pair of hairy feet where his tool kit was. He rolled out on the maintenance board and found Chewie. The Wookie had been a recluse since he came back, and Anakin couldn't blame him. The boy stood up from the board and stood besides his Wookie uncle. Chewie let out a growl, but Anakin already knew what the Wookie was going to say. It had been decided yesterday – the map was complete: Rey would follow the trail and bring back Luke Skywalker.

"No, I'm sure, Chewie. I'm not coming." Anakin said. The Wookie lowered his head and placed a great hand on his head. The Wookie protested, but the boy had made his mind up. He had work to do – a lot of work.

"I guess Chewie already asked you, then." Said a voice and Rey approached the X-Wing. It was the first time Anakin had seen her in something over than her sand robes from Jakku. But she still carried her faithful staff.

"Yeah, and I've said I'm not going. This one is yours, Rey." Anakin said. The girl nodded and silence over took them.

"Good luck." He said before turning away. He didn't want to drag out a conversation with anyone – he knew where it would go. And he didn't want to face that demon yet. Not now.

But soon.

 **Okay, so I hope that was somewhat bearable. Please let me know what you thought of this chapter, and I promise I will have a better one up sooner than this one was. Until then,**

 **May the Force be with you.**


	18. Planning

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **Hello – yes I'm back so soon already. Since I made you all wait so long for the last chapter I thought I'd give you all a second to make up for it. Hope you like it. And thanks to all the new followers/favourites.**

 **Now that I've reached the end of the movie, I'm putting my own plan into action. I have big ideas for where this story could go now. So here's the first of many new chapters that are of my own creation – enjoy!**

The table was cold. Kylo Ren lay there and allowed the medical droid to do it's function. The shuttle was at last gliding through hyperspace, safe from any form of attack. He gingerly lifted a hand to his face and tenderly dabbed at the torn skin, the flesh cracked and burned from the girl's strike with the lightsaber. A lightsaber that was rightfully _his_. Ren smacked his fist on the table with such strength that a dent was made and the medical droid bounced back, before resuming. The fist clenched tightly and the anger seeped out of his pores into a force unseen. It was only a faint trace of common sense that stopped him from warping the droid with his mind into a new shape. He seethed in silence as his wounds were tended to. The wretched Wookie had nearly torn his insides apart. Had the blast been one inch to the right he wouldn't have survived.

As the droid worked, Ren listened to the hum of his sleek shuttle and the distance mumbling of shock from the surviving crew. The base was gone. It was as if history was repeating itself – such as the works of the Death Star in the Empire's glory days.

Kylo Ren had made a promise to finish what Darth Vader had started. The loss of Starkiller Base was tragic and would damage them, but not destroy them. The First Order could survive anything. They still had countless planets and systems at their disposal, and with the Republic gone, the Resistance would be heavily crippled. There had been a minor victory upon the base before it's untimely demise. He had finally proven himself worthy, a non-fluctuating apprentice to Snoke. Faithful to the last. Han Solo had been a wretched thorn in his side for too long. Now that he was gone...Kylo would almost admit he shone with the Dark Side, a cruel irony.

His chest clutched painfully a the medical droid administrated an anti-infection shot, but the pain never moved. Ren's brow furrowed on the table as the pain wouldn't leave. It was almost as if...almost as if his soul was grieving without his permission. Kylo internally stamped on the feeling until it fled. Ben Solo...sometimes his body would react the same way it's previous owner had. It was a habit that he could not allow. Not after his victory. If Snoke doubted him for even a nanosecond, he would be a failure, and the restoration of Darth Vader's legacy at his hands would shatter. But the feeling came back, a longing in his soul. Ren closed his eyes and breathed heavily, seeping into a meditative trance. Meditation had never been his strong point. Whispers had plagued him for years when ever he did meditate. Whispers he didn't want to hear. But now he did. He drew in the Dark Side and wrapped it around himself like a protective sheet. This was power. This was limitless power. And freedom from the pains of the light.

But even with the Dark Side cloaked around him, images and feelings still plagued him. Flashes of years gone and things he had worked so hard to repress. Destroying Han Solo was supposed to have eradicated these, but they were still here. The Light. The smallest remnant. Kylo searched deeper. What was this light that remained? Nothing should be there. But – one thing. One small act of treason…

He should have killed him there. The cross-guard had pierced the gut and Ren remembered the sinking in his own stomach as his brother clung to his robes, falling to the ground. The other rebels had already fled. He should have perused them, left the boy to either die from blood loss or by the hands of the Resistance pilots. But he didn't. He had done what he could to stop the bleeding but nothing would work. He carried his brother out into the cold and seeked medical help. He had left him with the troops to be mended. Anakin was supposed to be dead. But he hadn't killed him. He had directly disobeyed Snoke's demand. He had tried to _save_ him.

Snoke was right: _he was weak._

His brother had lived by his hand and now a faint glow of light was trying to burn. Kylo opened his eyes and let loose the building rage at his failure. The droid was slammed against the wall, bolts coming loose and falling apart. Anything loose shook violently, and it wasn't until the ship started to shake that he tried to contain the rage. The boy had gotten into his head, had manipulated him into sparing his life.

Well no more.

He would prove his usefulness to Snoke and lead the galaxy into a new age. He would complete his mission. He had to kill the boy, he couldn't be left alive. The small flame flickered dangerously, however, threatening to ignite him whole. Just thinking of his brother, the idea of his lightsaber running through the body of the sibling he had cared so much for sickened him to the core. Kylo pulled himself from the table and leaned against the wall, the metal cool against his bare back as he sunk to his knees.

The idea alone was sickening him. He was weak. He wouldn't be able to do it. He'd get there, he could see it now, the saber in his hand and ready. But he knew he wouldn't do it. Should he perhaps have another slay him? No...the image of another killing Anakin told him he would simply run to the boy's aid at once and strike down whoever dared to hurt him.

" _Forever the protective big brother_ ," a voice in his head that horribly resembled his father's whispered. With another roar, what was left of the med-droid flew across the room and dented the opposite wall.

Not for the first time, he was conflicted. Kylo tugged at the Dark Side, willing it to cover him and cut him off from all of this.

No more.

 **/STAR WARS/**

With his shirt sleeves rolled up, Anakin bit into the blue pulp of the Mit apple as he watched the Millennium Falcon breach D'Qar atmosphere before jumping to hyperspace. The map was complete. Luke Skywalker's location was now discovered and Leia had sent Rey in an attempt to retrieve her estranged brother. Anakin had wondered briefly why she hadn't gone herself to meet her brother – diplomacy was her strong point, but he had sussed that her family bond would make the reunion all the more difficult. And Rey was a better match for the job – a beacon of hope, of what freedom and peace could be restored to the galaxy if Luke came out of personal exile to train a keen apprentice in the ways of the Force. Luke was their key to defeating Snoke, but Anakin had a hard time accepting this.

He doubted whether his uncle would willingly return. And if he did – Luke was certainly powerful, as son of the prophesied Chosen One for millenniums. But what they knew on Snoke was limited. The mind behind the First Order wasn't weak – he had managed to sway a promising student from the furthest corners of the galaxy without as much as showing his face once. Kylo Ren was proof of what Snoke could do, and Anakin shuddered at what else the creature could do. As one hand held his fruit, the other absently traced the scar on his left arm – white and deep. The bacta had healed all it could but they always left a scar. The mark of his brother's actions would remain for however long he had left. The brother whom he had always believed to be the last person to turn away from the light.

He bit into the fruit again, the sweet crunch making up for the blue juice that stained his lips a mess. A hand on his shoulder alerted him as his mother passed back towards the base.

"Be in the command centre in five minutes." He nodded briefly as she placed a hand on his cheek before leaving. He returned to his food, but barely focused on it. Instead, he started to think. He had clammed up since his return from the medical wing. His heart ached and his head pounded. Rey hadn't been able to get anything out of him before she left, nor could Poe. Or even his mother. She had tried to make him open up. But this feeling, this despair that purged in his stomach was more difficult to open up than admitting he had tried to dismember C-3PO when he was a child.

Pilots crossed the space where the Falcon had been moments before and one made his way over. Poe Dameron came towards the cluster of mechanical kits and repair units to sit on the crate besides Anakin.

"Got another one of those spare?" The pilot asked and Anakin pulled another purple/blue Mit apple from the pocket of his discarded jacket. Poe sat in silence besides him, munching the food and looking over towards his black X-Wing where BB-8 was happily conversing in binary with a silver protocol droid. Anakin finished the core and wiped away most of the juice staining his lips, waiting for Poe to start a conversation. The pilot had tried to console him, to let him know if he needed to talk about what had occurred on Starkiller Base, on what he had seen with his own eyes. But no person nor droid was going to hear him weep. He challenged all his emotional dilemmas into repairs whatever he could. He had improved several X-Wings (much to the relief of several over-worked mechanics) and even helped R2-D2 repair his internal drives once the astromech droid came of low power mode, before leaving with Rey.

"You'll have to talk about it sometime kid." Poe finally said.

"No I don't." He replied simply and began packing away his power tools.

"You can't keep this bottled up. The general...your mother is worried, you know." Anakin didn't reply. He stored away the tools in a container and pulled on his thin jacket.

"Watch me. I'm going to see Finn later. You coming?" Finn was the one topic that would steer Poe away from Anakin's emotional blankness.

"Yeah, I will. Come on, there's a field report coming in and the general wants everyone there." Poe discarded the last of the fruit and followed Anakin out from under the growing clouds of D'Qar and into the base. Troops and pilots ran around before the meeting. Some who knew of Finn, or knew of his exploits stopped and asked of his condition. In truth, Anakin wasn't sure. Finn had yet to wake up and the med-droids said there may be permanent damage to his spine and nerve system from the saber wounds. As Poe recited this, Anakin felt his fists clench, shaking the tighter they clenched. His nails dug into the palms of his hands, searing his nerve ends. As the pilot spoke to Poe, Anakin closed his eyes and took a deep, shaky breath, trying to get the image of Finn's fallen body in the snow out of his mind. The image of Rey hurled through the air, the image of Han Solo-

Anakin opened his eyes at the cold feeling of being watched. The room was filled with troopers, pilots, mechanics, droids and the higher members of the Resistance. In the crowd, Leia was watching him. Although not as strong as her brother in the Force, she could still sense emotions, and any Force-sensetive in the system would have felt his sudden bubble of anger. Leia was watching him, her face oddly pale and her eyes almost glassy.

"Everything alright kid?" Poe broke the eye contact between mother and son.

"Yeah, fine Poe." He mumbled and stood before the display unit as the meeting prepared to start.

"Let this meeting of the Resistance commence," Admiral Ackbar began. "We have triumphed over the First Order in this moment."

"But it won't last." A lieutenant piped up. Lieutenant Nieve, Anakin thought. He vaguely recognised the man. "They have control over plenty of sectors, and with the Republic gone-"

"The Republic is not gone, gentlemen," Leia interrupted. "The Republic now lies with us. But we have lost many. Not just in our ranks, but innocent lives who wanted none of this. The First Order has not hesitated to show they do not mind destroying more lives than their predecessor. We need to keep fighting in the name of the Republic. In the name of innocent lives lost."

Several people applauded, and Anakin found himself among them.

"Well said, General, but now we need to form an attack. Intelligence will inform us where _The Finalizer_ will rest-" Another lieutenant spoke.

"We do not have the resources to pull of such any full scale attack." Said Ackbar. "We lost too many pilots over Starkiller Base. And most of our ground troops were taken during the sudden attack above Geonosis on their way to Takodana. Since then, there have been less willing recruits-"

"Geonosis?" Anakin broke his silence. Several sets of eyes turned to him. "There is a major Stormtrooper training facility there now...apparently taking children from birth takes too long...they're working on some form of indoctrination out there now..."

"It would seem logical," Lieutenant Nieve spoke. "More and more ground assaults are taking place. The Order has billions of troops, but they still need replacements." As Nieve spoke, Anakin observed the hologram of the star systems. He moved his fingers into the hologram and allowed to close in on Geonosis. The planet was supposed to be deserted, apart from pirates. He himself had visited several years earlier. If a Stormtrooper facility had only recently been built, then a lot of the old structure of the civilisation would still be there.

"-need to preach to the people. Gain as much support and as many recruits as we can."

"Hang on!" Anakin said, interrupting Nieve. The man frowned and glanced at Leia – he clearly didn't like being cut off mid speech. "Think – we lost troops there, and its a Stormtrooper facility. The troops aren't dead, they're in there!"

"And what do you suggest, Mister Solo? A rescue mission?" Nieve asked.

"Well, yes! You said yourself we're low in numbers-"

"-I never exactly said that-"

"-And recruits need to be trained! We could attack the facility. They won't be too heavily defended yet."

"The kid's right!" Poe said. Several officials looked doubtful. But all the pilots and remaining troops who refused to listen to reason and let their hearts guide them in battles listened on eagerly. "The Order hasn't perfected indoctrination yet, otherwise we'd have been crushed long ago. If we enter the system in stealth and cut of their communications, we can attack and retrieve our troops."

"Hell yeah!" A pilot from the back of the room called and several cheered.

"Silence!" Nieve called. "This idea – if it were to fail, we'd be even more disadvantaged! There is not even any evidence to suggest our troops are alive and in there! We are the Resistance, not a bunch of hooligans with weapons!"

"But we need to take action," A former senator in the group said. She stood between Ackbar and Nieve. "We could be even more disadvantaged if we don't take this action. There is no promise recruits will come out after the destruction of the Hosnian system. If anything, they will be more terrified to defy the First Order!"

"May I remind you all, you especially General Organa," Nieve said, his eyes narrowed as Leia crossed her arms. "We have a Master Jedi returning to our ranks. The First Order doesn't stand a chance-"

"All the more reason to have experienced troops! To better our advantages even more!" Poe cried and several nodded. "Geonosis is surrounded by an asteroid belt. It wouldn't be uncommon for their communications to be disrupted. The Order wouldn't expect us to make such a bold move soon after-"

"Because it is rash and stupid!" Nieve bellowed.

"Calm yourself, Lieutenant." said Major Ematt, an ageing man with a lengthy white beard. The man had been around the Republic before the Resistance. Anakin remembered him from the times he would visit the senate with his mother – the occasions had been rare as he had become easily bored with politics. "Anyways, who would lead this assault? If it did go sour, they would have a lot to carry." Silence covered the room, save for the bleeps of droids and the frazzle of the holoprojector.

"I'll do it." Anakin found himself saying before he could stop himself. He suddenly went pale as all eyes turned to him. Poe patted his back reassuringly and Leia gave her son a small smile. Nieve, however, scoffed.

"You? Excuse me Mister Solo, am I right in believing you are only fifteen?"

"Yes. And never call me Mister Solo again." Nieve smiled.

"Really?" He glanced around all his colleagues, all of whom actually looked as if they were debating the idea silently. "Oh come off it! He's a boy! Apologies, General Organa, but the boy seems to flee at a moments notice, why-" Leia turned very suddenly to face Nieve, her eyes flashing. The man went silent.

"That will do, Mateo." Ematt said and Nieve stepped back. The ageing man turned to look at Anakin. "The boy has proven himself somewhat resourceful. He'd need a team."

"Rapier Squadron volunteers, major." Poe said and several members of Poe's team cheered. Nieve looked furious.

"Very well," Ackbar said. "Solo will command a ground side assault. Rapier Squadron will act as defence as well as additional ground assault. Its up to you gentlemen, to rescue our troops. Poe Dameron, you will be second in command."

"Oh Force it." Anakin heard Nieve mutter under his breath before disappearing into the crowd, but he was too busy trying to swallow a bundle of nerves.

"Hopefully after you are successful," Major Ematt said, "We will have Skywalker at our side and we may stand a chance against the First Order." Everyone cheered and everyone ran to their stations.

"You okay kid?" Poe asked over the hustle.

"Why the Force did I just volunteer to do this?" Anakin whispered, as not to let Nieve get the satisfaction. "You're more experience than I am Poe!"

"Because your a born leader, kiddo." Poe chuckled as Anakin rolled his eyes. "It'll be good. I've got your back, alright? I'll meet you in the med-bay in ten." With that, Poe disappeared with his squadron.

"You know," A voice said and Anakin found Leia walking over. "You reminded me so much of your father when you said all that. He wouldn't let a single hostage down." Anakin leaned up against the projector next to his mother, his eyes never leaving the ground.

"He'd be proud, you know." She whispered as she rubbed his back.

"I let him down, Mom." Anakin said, hardly aware this was the first time he had spoken of Han since they returned. "I let him walk out there and he...he told me to stay put. I shouldn't have listened, I should have stopped him."He began clutching his hair in his fists and holding back what he could. He found Leia's arms around him in almost a second and he buried his face into the crook of her neck.

"It will be okay. Anakin, I promise you it will be okay." She whispered, though her own voice sounded close to crying. He had heard his mother cry before, behind closed doors. He had seen her red eyes afterwards, but still the idea of her actually crying seemed impossible. And right now she seemed as close to tears as he was. He pulled back suddenly and rubbed away incriminating evidence of tears. Leia gave him a small smile. "It'll be okay."

"Will it?" He asked, as doubtful as anything. Just then, Lieutenant Nieve sauntered past and gave them both a curt nod.

"Solo. Do you think you'll be up for this?" The man asked, his blue eyes narrowed curiously. "You have a lot to live up to..."

"I can do it." He said, holding back the shakes from moments ago. Nieve sighed through his nose. Had he wanted Anakin to back out? "People younger than me have lead armies before."

"Very well. We will draw up an emergency strategy for you all. I suggest you go prepare. You'll be leaving at a moments notice."

"I'm...I'm going to go see Finn before I go, okay?" Anakin said, but left before Leia could say anything. He sped through the base, passing where rock met metal. The further he went, the more speed he picked up. Soon he was in full sprint to the med-bay. He burst through the doors, maybe expecting Finn to be up and ready for action. But when inside Finn's room, the young man was still laying motionless on the examiners table. Had there not been monitors and a rising chest, he could have been dead. Anakin stepped up to the bed and patted Finn's shoulder. Seconds later Poe entered.

"I don't know what to say to him." Anakin said bluntly. Poe grimaced and stood besides him.

"There is nothing to say. Someone like Finn will pick up on what's going on. He knows what we're thinking."The two stood there and watched. A med-droid came over and reassured them both that Finn was making progress and could well be awake soon.

"He could be up when we get back," Anakin said as they left the med-bay. The signal to head to designated ships was sounded and the two climbed to the surface.

"Then lets make a job and a half so he'll be jealous of missing out." Poe grinned. "It'll be fine, Ani."

"I wish you'd stop calling me that." Anakin said, a hint of a small smile on his face.

"No can do. You'll always be Ani to me, that kid that seemed so scared I picked up on Joavis. Who knew we'd end up here?"

"Not me that's for sure. Come on, we've got a rescue mission to complete." Poe grinned.

"That's more like it." He said as they stepped out into the beginnings of a fine drizzle. BB-8 rolled up to them, bleeping excitedly as the rest of Rapier Squadron followed the little droid.

"Right, you five in your X-Wings," Poe said, pointing out members of his team. "Your job is to block anyone coming planet side. You other three," He pointed to the remains of his group. "You're in the shuttle with me and the kid. We have to jam their transmissions and find away not to get blown out of the sky. Lets go." The team separated and BB-8 led them to their designated shuttle. As Poe, the three of Rapier Squadron and half a dozen group troops all boarded the shuttle, Anakin saw his mother and several other high ranking officers on the side lines.

He gave them a salute and boarded the ship. A rescue mission would surely be easier than blowing up Starkiller Base.

 **Boom! Chapter 18 done. Okay, so like I said this is going to be following a path I have made up. We'll have new faces and old joining, and hopefully some surprise twists here and there. I've already got so many ideas! So please, if you liked this chapter please follow/favourite or leave a review with your thoughts – I'd love to here them! The next chapter should hopefully be up around next week. Until then,**

 **May the Force be with you!**


	19. Geonosis

**One Light, One Dark**

 **Hey guys! Got an extra long one for you all here! Thanks for all the reviews and follows on this story. Hope you enjoy!**

Rapier squadron and the few volunteers for the mission pounded aboard the ship. Poe sat in the pilot seat and Anakin stood behind him as a man named Jensen Hak sat in the co-pilot seat. As the resistance members all boarded, Poe turned in his seat.

"Tell me now kid, you're not just doing this mission to distract yourself right? Cause this is going to be dangerous."

"I'm not." Anakin lied. He wanted the image of Han Solo on that gangway out of his head. He knew he could jeopardize the mission if he rushed into something he wasn't capable of. "I'm fine Poe. Really." Anakin moved to stand behind Jensen before Poe could respond and the base gave them the all clear. The shuttle lifted from the ground, the heavily contained engines whirring under their feet as Poe lifted them higher and higher until they left the atmosphere of D'Qar and the black mass of space was infinite. Their scopes read they had five X-Wings flanked by their sides for air attacks. Jensen placed in the coordinates for Geonosis and Poe plummeted them into Lightspeed.

"What's the plan, Commander?" One of the Rapier Squadron members asked and Poe turned in his seat, minding the bulkhead as he rose.

"I'm not in charge. It would be Anakin Solo you want to ask." Poe gestured lightly to Anakin who stood behind Jensen. The few soldiers within the main hold of the shuttle all turned. There must have been just under twenty, many forms of species and gender, all looking at him.

"Go ahead kid. You're in charge – what's the plan?" One soldier who wasn't apart of Poe's squadron asked, eyeing him up and down. Anakin knew he certainly didn't look the part to command an attack.

"Um...well, we cut their communications, don't let them leave the planet, do what it takes to get our troops back." Anakin as aware how false his voice sounded, and of the numerous holes in his plan. They had no backup, that is what he dreaded to mention. If they fell there would be no-one coming to their aid. The Resistance barely had the resources for them without the Republic's fleet. In short, this was nearly a suicide mission.

"How big even is the base?" Jensen asked from the co-pilots seat. Thankfully, Poe held the answer.

"According to intelligence it's one of the smallest ones, so we're lucky. The planet is nearly barren and no one can live for long outside the base – the elements would kill you off eventually. We need to keep this contained, ladies and gentlemen." Poe said, casting an eye over them. "You're all here by your own choice. We have a job to do."

One member in the back raised a hand, as if this were a trivial school discussion. "Yes?" Poe asked.

"Are we stretched so much we have kids leading us now?" The bulky figure asked with a nod towards Anakin.

"This kid, was a part of making sure we could destroy Starkiller base." Poe said as he stood besides Anakin. He himself agreed with the man in the back. He was a kid in reasonable standards, he knew that. He also knew a lot of soldiers had been doubtful of the mission by his age. It didn't matter who his parents were, or that he carried a lightsaber by his side. He was only fifteen. Grown men didn't always come back alive. In their eyes, how could a kid?

"I don't expect any of you to be purely confident in me," Anakin said before Poe could rise to his defence again. "But you all said you'd come – we all want to rescue those who are held in that base. You know how to fight. So do I. So lets fight for them. Let's fight for the galaxy." Poe nodded his head, as did Jensen behind Anakin, despite the teenager having never spoken to the pilot before now. Some in the crowd nodded in agreement and they all seemed to spark with a little more confidence. That was until the computer informed them they were coming up to Geonosis in sixty seconds.

"Stations!" Someone shouted and all the troops descended deeper into the shuttle and Anakin found himself in a moments panic at where he should be. He opted to run and stand back behind Poe's seat as he tried to reach the X-Wings.

"Red five, Red six, get ready to jam their communications. Stay just out of their range – you're our last line."

 _"You got it Poe!"_ A voice crackled over the com.

"This is it," Anakin heard Jensen murmur to himself as he flexed the little muscle the thin man had under his flight-suit.

"Get ready for heavy fire kid." Poe said and they came out of Ligthspeed. The galaxy returned to normal functions around them as they came into the proximity of the rust coloured planet of Geonosis. The ship shook at the exit and they all prepared for fire. But there was none. The planet was still. Not a ship in their atmosphere, not a single noise from the planet.

"Red five, are you jamming their communications?" Poe called.

 _"There aren't any to jam sir!"_ The voice piped up. _"We're blocking anything that might try and come through. Unless they have a radio frequency low enough to bypass us unnoticed, there's nothing coming from the planet!"_

Poe furrowed his brow. "This can't be good." He murmured.

"Maybe they're having maintenance problems?" Jensen inputted and Poe shrugged at the possibility. But Anakin glanced over the pilots shoulder and saw Red five was right – there were no waves of any kind coming from the planet at all. It would have been classed dead if there wasn't a flourish of life signs.

"Somethings not right here." Poe said. "You sense anything kid? Your speciality."

"No...nothing...it's too quiet. I can't sense a thing." Jensen frowned. How could a planet be too quiet.

"But there are life signs down there. You must be able to feel something?" Jensen asked. His father had told him all about the Jedi. The man had been older than most and remembered vividly the day they were wiped from the galaxy. Legend said they could sense a being light-years away.

"I can't sense a thing. It's like I'm blind to them." Anakin said. "It's like..." He trailed off.

"You think they have a trap waiting for us?" The co-pilot asked.

"They couldn't have known. This plan was made literally an hour ago. No communication would have reached Geonosis in the time we formed an attack."

"You know there is only one way to see if there is a trap down there?" Anakin said. Both Poe and Jensen glanced at one another to see if the other may know. They didn't. "Spring the trap." Anakin said and the computer informed them they were close to the planet's gravitational pull.

"What do we do, Commander?" Red six broke the silence over the com. Everything said in the cockpit was publicly broadcasted throughout the shuttle and to the data log. Every troop aboard listened.

"We go ahead. We don't know what is down there, but what we do know is that our troops were last seen in this airspace. There is no where else they could have been. So let's go."

The ship was pointed down and the descent towards the stained planet. Old structures remained undisturbed from the times of the Clone Wars. But here and there, cleaner, more recent builds gleamed in the harsh rays of star the planet rotated. There was still no fire, nor any wave of any kind from the planet. The X-Wings followed behind the bulk of the shuttle, fingers trained for any attack that might leap out. But they were merely feet from the ground now and still nothing. Poe directed them towards a hanger bay besides the main extension of the base. If there had been any form of attack or response, they would have landed miles away and approached on foot. But radio silence prodded them to make the first move: land in enemy territory.

As they pierced the airspace of the base, Anakin felt his gut wrench in a dreaded familiar feeling.

"No!" He cried, but his words were lost until the final propel of the engine. The ship shook forwards as the landing gear was released, and with a gentle thud, the landed on Geonosis. They all sat in silence for a moment.

"No..." Anakin breathed. He heaved heavily as the wave of nausea threatened to overwhelm him. He knew this feeling, it was too sudden and sickened his core. It was gone. The Force. There wasn't just dead airwaves, the Force was absent on this planet, and he felt not a single calling.

"Kid? You okay?" Poe asked. Anakin leaned against the pilots seat. How could an entire planet be cut from the Force? How? Anakin clutched at his starch as if some infectious disease had suddenly struck him. His mind stretched and tugged at the dark it was encased in. But...nothing. He was cut away. Like so long ago, his mind was alone in the galaxy.

"Kid!"

"I'm fine. Poe there's nothing here. This is barren to the Force. My senses are dead. I can't feel a thing." The pilot's eyes rose suddenly and he quickly glanced out of the glass screen that showed the hanger. "Poe? How were the troops taken again?" Anakin asked as he also glanced outside. The hanger was new. The lines of First Order standard TIE's and basic shuttles screamed that. But not only was the area physically dead, the air around them seemed spars. Anakin felt sick. He buried his face in his hands and his fingers in his hair.

"They were passing the system on the way to Takodana and were pulled off course to the planet. They sent a distress signal from this sector, but then it was silence." Poe answered.

"What's out there?" Jensen breathed. No one answered. Until -

"Well we'll never know stuck in here!" Poe said. "You ready?" He asked his young friend. Anakin nodded and they left the cockpit of the shuttle into the belly of the craft where their small sample was awaiting. Poe turned to Anakin, motioning to address the waiting. He took a moment to collect his thoughts. They flew everywhere as his body cried out for the Force. If he died out here, his mother wouldn't sense it. She may think him dead now, with him being so suddenly cut off.

"Okay, um, Jensen," Anakin turned to the tall co-pilot behind him. "Send a communication back to base. Let them know we're here. Patch in Red five and six, let them know the communication is coming from you." Jensen nodded and disappeared back into the cockpit. "Right then..." Anakin trailed off. Words were his mother's trade. Not his. He couldn't inspire armies or even a small group of renegades. He couldn't convince himself out of a bad game of sabbacc.

"...we don't know what's out there. We split into two. Short range communications to each other should still work. Search the base. Report what you find...we need to find out where our troops are as soon as we can. Then get the hell out of here..." The crowd didn't look all too convinced, again. But Poe clapped his hands once and they all marched out of the shuttle into the humid air of the planet. Geonosis had been key in preparing droids for the droid army during the Clone Wars, but what was left had been inhabited by criminals and traitors. Until he facility, the planet was really left to rot. But now the base seemed to be the one rotting. The sharp buildings gleamed in dusty sunlight and there wasn't a single Storm trooper to be seen.

The large group split itself without any further encouragement and stood waiting, side by side.

"Commander Dameron! Commander...erm, Solo?" Jensen sped down the ramp. "I can't patch through to D'Qar. Red five and six let me, but I can't reach them. Someone is blocking _us_."

"Well there is defiantly someone here, then." Anakin said.

"And something tells me it's not the First Order." Jensen nodded. With that, the two groups agreed to scour the base from opposite directions. Poe was to lead group one from the south and work upwards. Anakin would lead group two from the nearest entrance to them. Before they departed, Poe hadn't Anakin a short-range communicator to insert into his ear.

"Report when you find anything strange or dangerous." Anakin said as he tenderly fingered the lightsaber clipped to his belt.

"You say that like you expect there to be something strange or dangerous just around the corner." Poe sighed.

"Of course there will be. Otherwise this would be pointless." Anakin said with the smallest hint of his old smile before leading group two to the right, towards the entrance, as group one and Poe headed left to approach from the south.

"Ready, kid?" Poe's voice crackled in Anakin's ear. It was a small comfort. It wasn't the Force guiding him. It was his own initiative and Poe's voice. A close second, he supposed. But he would gladly like to find what it was that was cutting him from the Force. The last time, Luke Skywalker had to penetrate his mind with all the energy and strength. Now something had cut him off, like a switch. The doors at the far end of the hanger were what group two entered through. Anakin glanced about his group before they made their way in. It included a duo from Rapier squadron, Jensen, himself and around four troops who volunteered, including two humans of both gender, a Twi'lek and female Mirialan. It was their job to find their missing troops, and that's what they would.

"It's locked." Jensen said, pressing the control panel besides the door. "Completely jammed shut."

"I don't like this." One member of the group said with a heavy Correllian accent, itching from foot to foot ever so slightly.

"Look out boss." A tall woman said as she pushed forwards past Anakin. It took him a moment to realise that he was 'boss'. She aimed her blaster at the door and with several sparks, they swished open.

"Not bad." Anakin said. The woman shrugged and Anakin was reminded of Rey the way her loose strands of hair flew about her face. She would have reached the location by now...he wouldn't even be able to sense her emotions on her arrival with the supposed great Luke Skywalker. They all gripped their blasters tighter as the dark interior of the base loomed. Anakin lead the way. Treading lightly, they made their way down a corridor. Anything of value had been stripped from the walls. Fixtures and broken droids lay discarded. Any component worth value had been snatched. But it wasn't until the turned a corner did they find their first dead Stormtrooper.

"Anyone a medic?" Anakin asked. The trooper was clearly dead, the smoking hole in the front of the once pristine white armour said that.

"Bali." Someone said and a male green Twi'lek stepped forward and examined the dead trooper.

"Been dead a while." He said. "Direct shot. Whoever did this wasted no time with negotiations." Bali said and looked up at Anakin and the group. Worry and panic was beginning to settle in. Anakin held a hand to his ear.

"Poe?" He called. "Poe?"

 _"Right here kid. Found anything?"_

"Yeah. Dead Stormtrooper. Been dead a while it seems. What about you guys?"

 _"Same here. Two dead troopers and an officer. We're not far from communications. We'll see when the last communication was sent to the First Order. They could be on their way for all we know."_

"Good plan." Anakin said before cutting the transmission.

"What now?" The female Mirialan asked, but Anakin wasn't listening. Besides his head was a hole in the wall. No scorch marks suggested to him that someone had ripped it apart to get something from within. The hole was dark but what caught Anakin's attention was the pair of small yellow eyes watching him.

"Solo?" Jensen called, but Anakin stared back at the small eyes and placed a hand in the hole. There was a violent hiss and a small lizard like creature scrambled out of the hole on small legs. It had to be around fifty centimetres long and was caked in dirt over white skin.

"Force! Shoot it!" Anakin cried and Jensen aimed his blaster at the wall and fired. The lizard like creature dodged it, hissed and scurried into another hole in the metal sheeting.

"What was that?" Bali asked as he stepped away from the wall.

"Don't tell me you have the heebie-jeebies, kid." Said the only human male who was apart of Rapier squadron in their group.

"Yslamari," Anakin said as he stepped back, not realizing how cold he had been when he was so close to one. "They create a sort of bubble – separate you from the Force. Explains why I can't feel anything." He nearly spat in the direction of the creatures hide away. There could be millions of them around.

"I thought Yslamari were native to Myrkr? That's the opposite to Geonosis." The tall woman from before asked.

"Someone must have brought them here." The female pilot from Rapier said. "So any Jedi or whatever can't sense what's going on."

"Now I really don't like this." The heavy Correllian accent said again.

"But who would introduce Yslamari to Geonosis?" Anakin asked. "And what happened here? Who killed all the Stormtroopers?" Behind the group came the sound of clanging metal and the nozzles of a dozen various blasters were aimed at the small group of Resistance fighters.

 **/STAR WARS/**

"Let me go this instant!" Kylo screamed his voice hoarse aboard _The Finializer._ The med-droid had been adapt to make him have bed-rest and nothing else. His internal injuries had been healed for the most part, and a deep blistered scar cut across his features. He had never liked the company of med-droids, and made no exceptions when his life had been endangered by his injuries.

"Sir, I must protest-" If the droid could feel fear, it would tremble within it's machinery at the glare it received from Kylo Ren. If his lightsaber was not in need of mending, the walls around him and equipment would be reduced to burnt metals. There was buzz at the intercom and Kylo Ren's hand felt around aimlessly for the mask that had been left behind on Starkiller Base. With a wave of his hand, the med-droid was frozen by invisible bonds and protested against it's patient's actions no more.

"What is it?" Ren demanded through the com channel.

"General Hux requests your presence on the bridge, sir." Kylo could sense the confusion from the Lieutenant at the sound of his voice – the mask had given him a metallic rasp, and now he sounded almost human. He never responded other than deactivating the channel before inserting his hands into a pair of leather gloves and leaving his quarters. He felt the disgust and fear radiate from anyone who glanced at him long enough to see the ugly scar that would don his face for the rest of his life. He made his familiar territorial route to the bridge where Hux was leaning menacingly over the shoulder of an officer.

"General Hux." Ren said, holding back the shock of hearing his own voice. Some words he had never said without the mask to cover his face and disguise his voice. "What is it?"

"We're had an alert from a source close to the Resistance. A small task force has headed towards Geonosis in attempts to retrieve members lost in the system."

"Your point?" Kylo seethed. This was nothing. The galaxy was splintering between the Resistance and the First Order, and Hux was calling him out over a small task force?

"We've had silence from the facility based on Geonosis for several weeks, sir." The officer whom Hux had been standing by spoke up. The man's eyes darted to the floor when Kylo's head turned. "Their last report was due four days ago, but communications had always been sore with the asteroid belt. But we haven't been able to get any word out. Whether the Resistance has managed to take over-" the officer stopped once Ren held up his hand.

"You wanted my attention over this because?" Kylo snapped. His patience was thin and his anxiety was peaked. Any day now he would appear before Supreme Leader Snoke to face the challenges of the finale of his training, as well as his failure of allowing Starkiller base to be reduced to rubble.

"Our source has reported that the leader in charge of this task for is the young Jedi whom had a part in the destruction of our base. The same one you have a particular _interest_ in, I believe."

What Kylo Ren wouldn't give to Force throw Hux across the room and strangle the life out of him with his bare hands. But Hux was in too good favour with Snoke, who had also commanded Kylo not to kill this General, like he did the last one. Kylo held back a snarl, but his face showed his anger, with Hux had to hold back a sly grin at.

"Ready me a team." Kylo snapped at the officer besides Hux. "I wanted my shuttle prepared and ready to leave within the hour. Now!" The officer ran from the bridge and Ren stalked to the viewport.

"Do not think that capturing these Resistance members will will back your favour with the Supreme Leader, Ren. I warned you about your personal interests getting involved." Ren turned slowly to face Hux as the bridge waited with baited breath to see their general get thrown across the room and a position open. But Kylo Ren didn't allow Hux to get at him. He merely stepped closer to the man, and glad for the advantage of half a foot in height over the man, before leaving the bridge back to his quarters.

He collected a spare Lightsaber of a similar design he kept in his training facilities and went straight to the hanger bay. Troops moved fast paced around him to make sure there were no faults or risk of death on the job as Kylo sat in his seat aboard his prized shuttle. As he did, he allowed his eyes to close and wrapped himself in the cloak of the Dark Side, allowing his anger to swallow him hole, the darkness to overtake his senses. He was not weak. He would not fail. He would live up to the legacy of Darth Vader. He would make the galaxy understand. As he meditated, he called on whatever he could to guide his anger. What he got wasn't what he expected.

' _Look what you did, Anakin! You ruined it!' Ben screeched, clutching the ruins of his X-Wing model to his chest. Albeit, his mother had told him to make sure his young brother couldn't reach any of his stuff, but it didn't stop his anger. Anakin stood besides the table with wide eyes, not understanding the consequences of his actions, unsure of the anger he felt from his big brother. He had only wanted to play._

 _'It's completely wrecked! You ruin everything!' Ben could stop as he built up steam. The small 20-month-old boy stepped backwards but Ben grabbed his wrist and shook his brother. 'I hate you! I hate you! You make everything worse!' Ben screamed at Anakin, who began to have tears dribbling down his face. As Anakin cried, Ben yelled even more, shaking the remains of his model in his hands. He breathed heavily and focused on the younger, his anger was getting stronger and the ten year old projected it forwards towards his brother._

 _Anakin cried even louder and fell to the floor, more tears staining his face as Ben focused. Every piece of hate and anger he felt he sent surging to his brother. It was bubbling like hot wax on his skin: it hurt, but it burned his brother. Anakin cried harder until the door to the room burst open._

 _'Ben! No!' Leia shouted as she and Han ran into the room and removed Ben's grip from his younger brother. Once the contact was cut off, Ben felt his anger cool, and his face went white as if only realizing the state his brother was in. Anakin continued to cry as Han picked the small boy up and lightly rocked him._

 _'Ben – what in the name of the Force were you doing?' Leia asked, her hands gripping her son's shoulders. Ben's eyes were wide, but strangely empty as what possessed him moments ago vanished._

 _'I-I don't…he wrecked my model…' Ben let the feeble X-Wing fall to the carpeted floor and hung his head as Anakin's cries died down. He stayed facing the floor as his mother's words were lost in his ears, echoing for a second but then going. When he looked up his father had taken hi brother out of the room. Leia Organa sent her eldest son to his room for the rest of the night_.

 _When the sky had faded into darkness and the buildings of the city slowly lit up and gleaming like a billions stars on the planet, did Ben re-awake. The apartment was near silent except for the fain sound of the communicator downstairs. It sounded like Uncle Luke, and Ben hung his head again. They were going to send him away. The topic had been in the air before, many times. It had been his mother's determination that he stayed here, as well as his father's still lacking belief in the Force. But Han Solo had seen what he had done to his brother – it would be pointless denying anything now._

 _Ben slowly opened the door and padded down the corridor. He paused to listen to Luke speak of how well his students were doing before entering the room next to his. There was a small light on next to the cot Anakin slept in, the small boy breathing slowly, all the tears and red cheeks gone._

 _'I'm sorry.' He whispered to his brother. He didn't stir. Although he knew he was too big now, Ben still climbed into the cot and lay down next to his little brother. Anakin turned in his sleep and opened his eyes for a second._

 _'Ben.' The small boy said with a yawn before falling back to sleep next to his brother. Ben lay awake, an arm around Anakin and still apologizing deeper into the night_.

Kylo's eyes snapped open as the shuttle began the pre-flight sequence. That hadn't been what he hoped for when looking to the Dark Side for guidance. Was this a test? Or simply a cruel trick? That hadn't even been the first time he had called on the Dark Side. It was trivial compared to his current work. He forced the memory away, focusing on the faint, dull pain in his stomach from the blasted Wookie to feed his abilities. He would need strength.

The Force told him that much.

 **Hope you liked it! If you did or didn't, please let me know :)**


	20. Tournament

_**One Light One Dark**_

 **Hey guys! And we reach a milestone – chapter 20! Sorry for such a wait on this chapter, it's been difficult to write out. Anyways, thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter, and I hope you all enjoy this one.**

"Who are you?" Jensen asked, quivering slightly from the blaster stabbing into the back of his head. They were surrounded by at least two dozen beings, all mixtures of different races. All heavily armed as if prepared for sudden war. The one jabbing his blaster into Jensen's head said something not in Basic, which Anakin could guess meant shut up. They kept their hands raised as they were raided of their offensive material. One came up to Anakin and found the Lightsaber hanging from his belt. He began shouting again in the same strange language, holding the saber high. Anakin wanted to reach out and just snatch it back. He felt naked without the saber within easy reach, as he did with the lack of the Force. The being held the saber high and was frantically jabbering. Another raised his blaster to Anakin's eye level and looked close to pulling the trigger.

But another forced his companion's weapon down. "No," his raspy voice said in Basic. "We take him back. All of them." The blasters were forcefully jabbed in the back of heads once again and they were forced to march out of the base. The planet was heating slowly as the planet's mid-day approached. The sun heated their bodies far too quickly and sand blew in their faces as they were marched across the dusty land towards a large cargo ship. It could only be planet-side; the piece of junk looked incapable of space travel to even the next system.

"On board. Now." The one who spoke basic said. Hands on their heads, they walked up the ramp. Anakin briefly wondered whether Poe's crew had been caught, or if these people thought they were the only ones. But he stopped walking as he began to think, which resulted in a sharp prod.

"Move, Jedi." Another said, though it sounded as if Basic wasn't his native language as his words slurred. They sat in the make-shift brig of the ship as up above, the ship was activated. The ramp closed them off from the Geonosian sun, but it was stifling within the ship. Sweat beaded on the brows of them all as the ship vibrated with it's movement, shaking them back and forth as the pilot manoeuvred them over the rock and sand layered terrain.

"You shouldn't have come here." The clear leader said to them. In his hand was the Lightsaber. The man caught Anakin glancing at it before clipping it to his own belt. The trip seemed short, but it seemed possible the ship had more power tan it looked, as once they were forced to descend the ramp, the base that once belonged to the Fist Order was no where in sight. They could be a hundred miles away. "Move!" One bellowed as they all trooped towards a towering structure that looked as it nature itself had built. It was carved out of the same faded rock as the planet. It was only the flurry of speeders and beings that moved around that suggested it was possibly man-made. They entered the structure and found more people lying around. Music was playing and it seemed several were participating in games of gambling. It looked like a pirates haven.

"Are you pirates?" Bali asked bravely. They wanted answers. The dead Stormtroopers. The Yslamari. Who were these people? Were they responsible for everything that had gone on? One shouted angrily in non-Basic and Bali received a whack to the skull.

"Hey!" Anakin shouted but a blaster was pointed at his face. He fell silent.

"Put them with the others. I will take the Jedi." The leader spoke and Anakin was wrenched from the group. His team was lead down a passage way as Anakin was lead further into the large hall like room. People were passed out drunk, or were still drinking. The canteen style music played and some people were being personally entertained in dark corners that made Anakin turn his head away. In the midst of the crowd, among all the gambling and the rowdy behaviour, one man sat a top a large pile of decorative pillows; empty bottles lay scattered about. Had he had a more sluggish feature, he would have fit the perfect description Han Solo had given him about the life of a villainous Hutt.

"A little Jedi!" The man boomed. He was heavily clothed despite the temperature of the room, but Anakin could see the man was a Weequay in origin, unlike the leader of the search party whom was human, but extremely ugly, in Anakin's opinion. "Welcome!" The Weequay boomed, sloshing the contents of the bottle in his hand. "Welcome indeed. Are you sure he's a Jedi?" He asked the human, who's blaster was still pointing at Anakin's back. The man unclipped the Lightsaber from his belt and handed it over.

"A true Jedi!" The Weequay said. "Where are my manners? I am Kanto, leader of the Nine Systems! And welcome to my establishment!"

"Establishment? Looks like a Force-forsaken pit to me." Anakin muttered, and raised an eyebrow. He nearly received a blow to the skull like Bali, but the human was stopped by Kanto's laugh.

"He has fire! This is good!" Kanto looked close to clapping his hands like a small child. Anakin felt he could not take this man seriously. "Come! Sit with me, Jedi!" Kanto returned to his nest and patted a small stool hidden beneath the mound. He didn't move at first, but another sharp jab forced him forwards and he sat besides Kanto, stiff backed as the man took a swing from his bottle, before ordering a replacement to a droid. "Ah little Jedi, what are you doing here? Sight-seeing is not permitted!" Kanto chuckled madly at himself before calming down enough.

"We came to find friends." Anakin said. It was possible this man would not be hostile. If Anakin remained on good terms with this man then maybe, just maybe, they would go free. "They disappeared in this sector not too long ago. We thought the First Order had them. This was their training facility."

"The First Order! Bah!" Kanto cried. Anakin noticed a pair of small eyes watching him from Kanto's jacket. A single Yslamari crawled out of the fold and rested on Kanto's shoulder. "We took this world a long time ago! If they try and take it back – then they will not win! Finally!" A new bottle arrived and Kanto drunk heavily.

"Could you help us find them?" Anakin asked hopefully. This was far too a long shot, he knew.

"Find them! Dear Jedi, there are here! Like I said – no sightseeing! No trespassers. This planet belongs to my friends! My people!"

"But they did not mean harm – if you let us leave we can ensure you no one will bother you again." Kanto shook his head, suddenly seeming far more sober than his personality let on. He carefully placed the bottle down and a gloved finger tenderly patted the head of the white creature on his shoulder.

"I thought my pets would keep the likes of you out. The Nine Systems does not take kindly to trespassers. Especially Jedi. You bring war and death to my kind."

"You're pirates?" Anakin asked. He had never heard of any pirate formation known as the Nine Systems.

"I find that such an ugly word. Why label someone a pirate when all they do in life is what they want to?" Kanto said, his eyes strangely darker. "My friend, I'd rather be a pirate over a Jedi."

"I'm not here on behalf of any Jedi. There are no Jedi left. That -" He pointed to his Lightsaber "- is just a weapon to me."

"Then hold my pet." Kanto took a hold of the Yslamari. It hissed and tried to claw it's way out, the small reptilian eyes watching warily. Kanto held the creature out. Anakin didn't want to hold it. He didn't watch to even look at it, let alone touch it. What the creature does and it's power made him sick to the stomach. He could barely raise his hand in attempts to pretend. Kanto snorted.

"Not a Jedi! Bah! You hate my pets, and them you. Your abilities make them sick, and them to you." Kanto paused for a moment before throwing the creature down. It scurried beneath the mound of pillows. Anakin slowly lifted his legs and sat on them, lest the creature scratch at his booted feet. "No, my young man. You see pirates as criminals. I see you Jedi as the criminals. You brought this galaxy into chaos with your religion! We are all torn in half, never knowing if we would live another day. Now the First Order is under control my another Force-wielder, just like the days of the Empire. And you fight. You bring death to us all in the galaxy!" Kanto rose from his seat and straightened his clothes.

"My dear friends!" His voice boomed, and all the members of the Nine Systems looked from their activities to their leader. "Time, I think, for new entertainment! Our first Tournament in several years!" The crowds cheered, but Anakin did not understand any of what Kanto had said. Tournament?

Anakin was seized roughly by the same search-party human as before

"Careful, Motti!" Kanto said. "He fights at dawn. So I want the entertainment to last; no harm to him." The human – Motti – started to drag him away from the recreation room.

"Wait – my friends! They are here, aren't they! You took them, did you or did you not?"

"They trespassed in our system. They are here, true. But you have other problems." Kanto stepped forwards, snatching a bottle from a passed out pirate lying across a table where a Sabbacc game lay abandoned. "You will see what we do with Jedi. You fight at dawn. You win, your friends can go free but you stay. You die, well, you die. I suppose once you're dead what happens to your friends doesn't matter."

Motti dragged him from the room, though the blaster to his back was unneeded. Anakin followed him quietly through the structure, not caring about his surroundings as he was taken down the same passageway his team had been taken down earlier. They walked down many steps and passed many jeering pirates. Soon the natural light evaporated and artificial light took it's place. Down below, there was more metal reinforcement. He was escorted into a small room lined with metal warped from the heat of the planet. The door behind him wasn't automatic, it was a standard door, heavily bolted and locked. Motti sneered before disappearing. His footsteps slowly evaporated and he was left with the sound of generators and rusty droids wandering up and down the corridor. Until…

"Solo?" A voice called. It seemed to come from the ground. He looked around, and on the corner of the wall, was a thick metal grating, which lead into the next cell.

"Jensen!" Anakin cried. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah we're fine." He said. Anakin lowered onto his front and peered through the grating. The rest of the team were squeezed into the one cell, as well as several others whom he had never seen before. "What's going on? Who are these people?" Jensen asked.

"Ever hear of the Nine Systems?" Anakin asked. There was a murmur next door, but nobody said yes. "Pirates. Or something similar...they seem to, um, hate force users. Explains why they introduced Yslamari. Though I wouldn't have thought they'd survive the climate."

"Anakin, listen. The missing Resistance team, well, half of them are here. The other half are...gone. Dead. But we're all in here. We need to contact Poe's team. Mount a rescue. Get out of here-"

There was a clang on Anakin's cell door. The droid patrol yelled in binary for them to be silent before continuing it's patrol up and down the corridor, up and down. Up and down.

"How would we do that?" Anakin hissed through the grate as another droid passed. "They took our blasters, communicators, my Lightsaber. We have nothing. At dawn, they're making me fight something. I don't know what, but if I win, they say they'll let you go."

"Are you stupid enough to believe them?" Bali snapped, his face appearing at the grating." Anakin rolled his eyes.

"No, but they seem to like the idea of me fighting something. They will all be watching. We make a plan, try and break out whilst I'm fighting. There will be less people to hear or see you."

"We could try provoking the droid to come inside," Jensen suggested. "They're pretty crappy. They're armed but if we jumped them-" He quietened down as one walked past their door. "-we might just get somewhere."

"What do you mean they're making you fight?" One of the original Resistance team asked.

"Some sort of tournament. A fancy show, really. They want to make me suffer because I'm a Jedi, therefore responsible for all things bad in the galaxy." Jensen rolled his eyes.

"They don't seem to understand the bigger picture, do they?"

"No, not really." Anakin mumbled as he leaned against the cold wall, tracing scratches and marks in the metal sheeting.

"What about Poe's team, Anakin?" The female pilot from Rapier Squadron asked. She really did remind him of Rey that it was almost worrying. He tried to ignore the knot in his chest at the thought.

"I don't know. They'll know we're missing. Hopefully they'll have the sense to either run or call for a full scale rescue. But if Lieutenant Nieve is in charge, then not likely. See if you can patch the through when you get out."

"You know, I figured out what this place is," said Jensen. "It was a droid factory during the clone wars. A key place for the separatists and the Geonosians produced hundreds for the droid army here. Until they were nearly brought to extinction." There was another clang at his cell door by the guard droid for them to be silent. This time they remained that way.

 **/STAR WARS/**

Anakin wouldn't have known how much time had passed until the artificial light was turned back on sometime later. The cell door was opened again, Motti entering, flanked by two other humans, armed to the teeth. The team watched silently through the small grate in the wall as he was brought to his feet and taken from the cell. Anakin was escorted back up to the main of the structure. He could see parts now that would have been unchanged since the beginning of the clone wars. There was some old, inactive machinery around the rooms that may have been responsible for producing members of the droid army. Instead of the main hall where he was yesterday, Motti lead him through the building and up numerous stairs. There was not a single pirate around anymore. They must all be waiting where ever the supposed 'tournament' was to take place. If they hated Jedi as much as Kanto did, it wouldn't matter. Something told him attendance was compulsory, or maybe they all wanted to gamble whether he lived or died. It didn't matter either way, Anakin thought, the more watching, the easier it would be for the team to try and escape.

The building didn't hold windows, there were natural gaps in the structure that showed the planet surface. It was dark outside, but going by the faint light, dawn was less than half an hour away. Dawn was when he would fight. What would it be? Droids? Terrifying beasts that roamed the planets surface? Or a thousand of the bravest members of the Nine Systems.

"Little Jedi! Ready to prove yourself?" A voice beamed as Anakin was placed in a large room before a table, where Kanto was clearly eating his breakfast. Alcoholic beverages seemed the front of the meal. "Come, sit, gain some strength. I want a true show. I want to see you last a while before your death." Anakin sat opposite Kanto, grateful for the one time lack of blasters pointing at him. He looked about the table; bottles and glasses were the centre piece, but there was actually some foods there. The rumbling in his stomach had pestered him for several hours of the night and now reached a tipping point upon seeing edible food.

He grabbed several fruit pieces and bread and ate with gusto, letting his stomach be his first priority at this one chance to eat.

"So, what am I fighting? Something tells me your are not a man to disappoint an audience." Anakin grumbled as Kanto burst into laughter.

"I wish I could actually keep you, you know? I have never heard anyone challenge me so directly in a long time. It will be missed. I think it is best you wait, little Jedi. It can be your final surprise." Kanto took a heavy drink. "Tell me your name, Jedi. I have yet to ask."

"Anakin Solo." Kanto's eyes flashed and he slowly placed a his glass onto the surface. Little did Kanto know that the table he dined on was once the conference spot for negotiations of the fierce Count Dooku in the days of the original Republic. "Solo...well here is me thinking you were just a nobody Jedi! Why, if I didn't want entertainment so badly, I could hand you over to the First Order to claim their reward on you! But I would have thought someone with your bounty to be a little older."

Anakin stopped mid chew. "What will you do whether First Order comes here? They recently lost an important base, so security is tightening slowly. They'll know something is wrong with the faculty here. They could be on their way already, you know?"

"Let them try!" Kanto banged his fist on the table. "We will rid the galaxy of Force-wielders for good!" Kanto looked as if he wanted to say more, but instead he drank deeply from two full cups of different liquids before rising and clapping his hands. Motti came out of the shadows and cuffed Anakin's wrists.

"I shall see you in the arena." Was the last thing Kanto said to him before Anakin was escorted out. Arena. Would this be the same arena where the Clone Wars had begun? Where the Jedi fought to protect the galaxy? If so, it would be a cruel irony for a Jedi to simply be fighting for his life in this situation. As they passed, gaps in the walls allowed Anakin to see the arena in question. Every possible pirate on Geonosis may have turned up. The stands were full and his ears pulsed with the sounds of the cheers. It stood in the centre of the building and was fenced by the naturally occurring turrets of the build.

"Get ready, Jedi scum." Said Motti as they stood in front of the doors that would lead him into the base floor of the arena.

"Do I not get any weapons? Otherwise this will be a short show." Anakin said out of the side of his mouth, his eyes unable to move from the doors that would raise and force him into the arena.

"There are some in there, but you'll have to find them." As Motti said this with a grin, the doors slowly raised and a siren commenced as dawn reached it's peak. Signalling the start of the event. The doors raised and the siren prevailed over the sound of the cheers. At this moment, Anakin hoped his friends were busy escaping, but the fear that filled him was the most powerful as he was met with the blinding light of the arena, clouded in dust and words he couldn't make out, coming from the stands. His cuffs were unbound and slowly, the gang of pirates surrounding him, forced him into the arena by the nozzles of their blasters. Once away from the doors, they shut and Anakin was left in the arena, walking slowly tot he centre, his heart thumping painfully in his chest.

There were cheers, and Kanto took pride and place in the best viewing seat up above. But there was nothing here for him to fight. The remains of three tall, thick poles stood in the centre, but behind them were more doors. Another siren began to wail as they opened. From the dark depths of within, a large beast came out of the shadows. Anakin had only ever seen pictures of Rancor's before. And this creature must have been a close cousin, as if seemed to hold more speed than any Rancor he had read about. It's body was think and covered in dark, twisted flesh. Small eyes gleamed hungrily from within it's skull, and it's cry was louder than any siren or cheers.

It took several heavy steps forwards, the ground shaking as it did. Around it's neck, beneath the thick flabby flesh hung his Lightsaber. Anakin saw the metal cylinder gleam in the desert sunlight as it swung gently side to side. It began to move more violently as the Rancor picked up speed and charged forwards, clawed hands held high as it roared in fury. Frozen for a second, Anakin felt his fear bubble before forcing his legs to move quickly. The Rancor was much faster than any he'd hear do of, as it was baring down, grimy teeth showing as it roared. A large arm swooped to grab him, which he only narrowly missed. He dived between the large legs of the creature and sprinted towards the pillars in the centre. The doors beyond them had also closed. Up above, all the pirates cheered, and Kanto's grin bared down upon him.

The one thing the Rancor seemed incapable of doing quickly was turning around. As Anakin ran, it roared at the disappearance of it's food and took it's time in moving it's whole body to face the opposite direction. There was no where to hide. The pillars were the only other things in the arena apart from him and the Rancor. And without his Lightsaber, he was defenceless. He needed to get that weapon back, but it hung just under the most dangerous part of the beast. By the time the Rancor had finally turned itself around, Anakin was catching his breath against one of the pillars. The Rancor spotted him and roared once again, as it's feet made the ground beneath him shake violently.

Doing the only thing he could think of, Anakin climbed. The pillars were all embedded with cracks and grooves that allowed him the smallest form of grip as he tried to climb to the top, the Rancor picking up dangerous speed as he did so. As he reached the top of the pole, the Rancor reached him. He only hoped this would work. The Rancor didn't stop it's run, it charged head-first into the pillar, which crumbled upon impact. Anakin fell from the height and fell in the direction of the Rancor, aiming for it's back. The crowd jeered and cat-called loudly as Anakin managed to grip the sweaty flesh of the creature. Appalled at having it's food best him, the Rancor roared louder than ever as Anakin gripped it's skin under his nails tightly, trying desperately to get higher and reached the saber. It was dangling below the jaw, and within reach of the Rancor's claws. Holding his breath as he did so, Anakin jabbed the creature in one eye. It screamed in pain and was distracted from it's breakfast. He stretched his arm painfully and grasped at the cylinder as it swung back and forth as the Rancor stumbled backwards. Success! He gripped the saber and within a second, the white blade was activated and plunged into the chest of the beast.

With one last roar, the Rancor fell backwards. Anakin jumped from the back and landed in a heap, breathing heavily, drenched in sweat besides the fallen creature. The crowd became louder; protests from some, but cheers from those whom had betted on his survival and were in profit. Anakin turned onto his back and stared at the sky up above. The crowd all began to quieten down as they saw the same thing he did. The faint black outline in the sky was getting closer to the ground. Sirens began again within the arena as the ship descended. It wasn't the Resistance. This was far worse than the Rancor, that lay dead a few feet from him. The shuttle belonged to the First Order. Anakin closed his eyes as the shuttle gradually lowered into the arena.

The black shuttle landed within a flurry of sand as the pirates exited the stadium as fast as they could. Anakin glanced up from the floor to see Kanto flee from the scene. So much for fighting the First Order should they arrive. The ramp of the shuttle lowered, and from his position, lying in the dirt of the arena floor, Anakin saw Kylo Ren descend, his replacement Lightsaber already activated, illuminating the battle scar that marred his brother's face.

Anakin slowly pulled himself to his feet, aware of just how tired he felt suddenly. Troopers descended the shuttle also, but he paid them no heed. He simply watched Ren, who didn't break eye contact either.

"Hello again, brother." Anakin said.

 **End! Another chapter done – so here comes a new battle between Kylo and Anakin. Wait until you see the plan I have for this. I hope you enjoyed this and if you have anything you wish to say about this chapter or the story in general, then please do so in a review! Until the next time,**

 **May the Force be with you!**


	21. Desert Wanderings

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **Hey guys, I'm back! I seem to keep doing this, haha. But this time I do have an excuse. I've been meaning to write this up for a long time, but unfortuanlty I've been quite ill. But I have finally re-surfaced and written this. So, sorry for the delay, and take this chapter as a I'm-sorry present :)**

Anakin wasn't sure how long he stared at his brother. It felt like an age, but not long enough as once blaster fire rained down from the stadium, did he snap out of his stupor. Stormtroopers returned fire on the angered pirates. who had yet to abandon their kingdom, bodies falling with fast thumps to the dusty ground. Roars echoed from within the lower structure of the stadium – were there more Rancors? The answer was confirmed by one bursting through the now-crumbling walls, one of it's carers between it's teeth. Between the chaos of trooper and pirates, Kylo Ren's red blade activated. Anakin head it hum as Ren made his way forwards. It was a different saber – the body was different, but the cross guard design remained the same.

He stayed in his place as Kylo made his way forth. He needed to keep the First Order within the perimeter – or what was left of it – to give the others a chance to run. He hoped they had already escaped during the commotion, found Poe's team and run. Poe wouldn't willingly leave Anakin behind, but he hoped the pilot wasn't sticking around. Better the team succeed in their mission and get their captive members back to base and leave him behind as the only casualty.

Ren was closer now. A pirate foolishly tried to take him down with an electric-induced staff. He made the mistake of delivering a quick stab at Kylo's side before the Knight of Ren could raise his saber. With a quick flash of red, the pirate crumpled to the ground. Kylo rested a hand on the lower part of his ribs, the same place where Chewbacca had deliberately aimed, before holding back any sign of pain and continuing forwards. The newly retrieved lightsaber still sat in Anakin's hand, and he was vaguely aware of the Rancor's blood staining both the metal cylinder and his hand. There was now barely a meter between them, neither of them blinking, and no mask to obscure the view of his brothers face.

One saber was still on. The other had yet to ignite.

"Solo..." Ren stated, his voice deeper than their last conversation. More so that the mask would have allowed. He trailed off as he gripped the saber tighter, in both hands now, ready to strike. But Anakin did not raise his own blade. Surely the logical thing to do would be to fight, if he was trying to buy time. A duel would do that. The drained look in Ren's eyes told him he had weakened in the force also, due to the Yslamari. The dark eyes told Anakin he was still in physical pain from his injuries. The force had been keeping his numb, but now it was growing in his eyes.

"Detonator – get down!" Anakin found himself crying suddenly as something bounced into his line of sight. The small sphere bleeped menacingly and Anakin's hand shot out into the line of danger of the red lightsaber to grab Kylo's sleeve. He flung the pair of them away from the sphere as it let off a single bleep and their world was clouded by ash and grit.

The sound deafened their ears. Anakin pulled his head out from under his arms. He coughed violently and stumbled with the ringing in his ears. Time seemed to move forwards so slowly. He could feel the burn of small cuts on his face, hear the sound of blaster bolts hitting bodies, feel the vibration as the Rancor was defeated and fell to the ground with a tumble. The clouds of dust cleared and a smoking crater sat where he had been standing moments ago. He coughed again, more violently and tried desperately to get some clean air into his lungs, his eyes watering. He doubled over as a bolt narrowly missed his head, just by chance he had moved. A hand grasped his arm and he was pulled out of the centre of the arena towards the gate which he had entered though.

"Get down!" A muffled voice called in his ears. Kylo Ren was pushing him up against the wall, his hand far too close to his throat. Instincts flared to life and he lunged forward to push Ren away as another detonator exploded some feet away. Again they were immersed in dust. As he aided a racking cough, he head the tell-tale sound of crumbling stone and above the whole building was starting to collapse upon them, revealing more of the sky as it fell.

"Come with me!" Anakin followed the voice back through the gate as heavy chunks of stone began descending on the newly arrived shuttle. The pair sprinted through the vast arena towards the first spot of light. More explosions and crashes sounded behind, but they did not look back. The two brothers continued to run as the walls caved in around them. With another deafening sound, the ground gave way. Kylo fell to the ground with a heavy grunt, his injuries having bested him for this moment and he fell, clawing at the grit as he began to slip into a newly developed pit.

With a scramble, Anakin clawed in the dirt and found Ren's gloved hand. He tightened his grip and pulled him. "I've got you!" Anakin bellowed over the sound of crumbling rock. He met Kylo's eyes in the dying light, and with one hard tug, he pulled the grown man out of the edge of the hole. The pair tripped over their own feet but continued running once more, the exit in sight as the familiar bleep of thermal detonators pinged from behind. Still holding each other's hands, the pair dived from the Geonosian architecture and landed with a heavy thud as the final explosion erupted and they made their way up onto the surface from the lowered arena.

Anakin lay their with his eyes closed in the dirt, his breath hot as it returned to his face. His heart thumped painfully fast that he felt as if he had swallowed a rouge detonator. He swallowed to clear his dry throat and managed to turn himself onto his back to see the clear blue sky above. A faint trail of smoke was just out of his vision – but what captured his attention was the very faint sight of two X-Wings disappearing from the planet's atmosphere along side a cargo-hold shuttle. They were clear. Gone. He wondered what his mother would think, once the team returned and he didn't come down the ramp with the others, as with the case of his father. Han Solo had never walked down the ramp of the Millennium Falcon again.

But that would not be his future. He would find a way back to the base before they packed up and re-located as planned. And maybe he would be able to bring his brother home after all. He allowed this fantasy to play out in his head before snapping his head to the right to the mass of black robes to his side, unmoving. There was heavy grunting coming from the body and Anakin heaved his shaking legs to their feet.

He walked around, grit still trailing his throat, forbidding speech. Kylo Ren lay on his right side, his eyes squeezed shut, his hand clutching the base of his left ribcage, wheezing unhealthily. Anakin let himself kneel and slowly reached out to place a hand lightly on the injury. But the gloved hand shot out and grasped his wrist. The eyes opened beneath strands of hair clung with sweat. Kylo's eyes were near blood shot and empty.

"Don't." he said, his voice close to rasping.

Anakin snatched his arm out of Ren's grip and turned to look back at the Geonosian arena as it sunk, smoke billowing from the centre. It had fallen silent. Had all been wiped out, or had survivors escaped, ready to hide and lick their wounds.

"We need to leave." Ren said, grunting as he pulled himself upright.

"We?" Anakin asked. Kylo Ren would never come willingly as a prisoner to the base of the Resistance.

"Unless you rather waste away out here." Kylo quipped. "I'm sure the wildlife would enjoy what little sustenance you provide them with." Ren snarled as he took one step forward and suddenly fell to his knees, clutching his ribs.

"We're not going to get far with you like this." Anakin said. He didn't register his own movement as he reached out to help Ren back to his feet. Kylo looked as if he wanted to bat the helping hands away, but he thought better of it. Reluctantly, he allowed his younger brother to assist him forwards as he hobbled, trying not to agitate his ribs. The pain was crucifying, and he could not stop the small whimpers coming out. But Anakin said nothing to the sound. They kept moving away from the burning wreck behind their backs, Kylo's arm around Anakin's neck.

They made their way through the valley of desert ahead of them. Remnants lay around, the only sign of the pirates' time here, as their kingdom continued to burn. A few paces ahead, a scatter of crates sat in the sand. And besides them...a speeder.

"That's something I suppose." Anakin said, pulling Ren along quicker at the sight of the speeder. It's once blue exterior was bleached by the Geonosian sun and seemed far outdated. But whether it worked was the main issue. Once in the small enclosure made by the crates, Anakin helped Kylo sit in the shade of the metal lined boxes. Having a peep under a lid, Anakin assumed they were mostly all filled with spice of some kind.

"It looks useless." Ren said as he pulled himself upright, hissing slightly.

"Maybe, but I can get it to work," Anakin said as he inspected the interior of the speeder. "And maybe we can find a settlement of some kind."

"Geonosis is barren. The First Order claimed it. Or so we thought we had..." Ren spat as he glanced back in the direction of the fire. Anakin felt a small ripple of anger, which unbalanced him. They must be out of reach of the Yslamari's power. Only just, he thought, as Kylo hissed in pain again. After searching more of the crates, he managed to find some tools as well as a canteen of water. Before going to the speeder, he crouched down in front of Kylo, holding the canteen out in front of him.

"Drink it, you'll need more strength than me with that." He nodded towards his ribs. Ren just narrowed his eyes, his lip curling as he kept chosen words behind sealed lips. He didn't take the canteen. Anakin narrowed his eyes back before taking a swing of the water within, just to erase any little doubt of poison in Kylo's mind. The cool liquid soothed his parched throat and he severely wished he could drink it all, but he managed to pull the cool rim away from his lips. Again, he held it out in front of Kylo. He still didn't take it.

"Listen, either you drink it, or I force it down your throat-" Kylo raised an eyebrow "-we've got enough to do without me having to carry your body over my shoulder." After silent deliberation, Kylo removed a gloved hand from his sore ribs and slowly took the canteen from Anakin's hands. He waited a moment before drinking greedily. Soon there wasn't a drop last.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" He drawled sarcastically, a too bright grin on his face. The heat was slowly getting to his head.

"Don't mock me." Kylo spat, as Anakin remembered his brother always using that exact phrase when a younger Anakin reluctantly agreed to something he didn't want to do. That was a lifetime ago. That was a different person. He glanced back down at where Kylo's ribs would be under the black robes. There was no blood stain so at least there was no re-punctured skin.

"I take it you never went in a bacta-tank after..." he said, holding back a particular image. "Still hate them I guess?" Kylo turned his head away from Anakin at this. He merely shrugged and left Ren to simmer in the shadows as he pulled himself into the drivers seat of the speeder. He fiddled aimlessly with the communication radio inside. He would never be able to be able to broadcast a distress signal with these minimal tools, he thought. With a heavy sigh, he pulled up the passenger seat and removed a panel that would allow him to access the cooling generator. As he worked, he was vaguely aware of Kylo undeniably watching him.

They said nothing to each other whilst Anakin worked. All that could be heard was the occasional grunt from Kylo, his ribs flaring, or Anakin cursing as he probed the speeder. Soon there was a heavy slam and Kylo hated to admit he jumped slightly as Anakin resurfaced from the speeder, rubbing filthy hands together.

"That'll have to do. The speeder should keep cooler for a little while longer, but we need to find shelter for now." He climbed out of the speeder and rummaged through the crates surrounding them. One must contain supplies of some kind. In the third box, he found another canteen, but empty, but several sand-protection goggles and layers of clothing. He turned around and glanced over at Kylo, as the man pulled himself to his feet, holding back a grimace of pain as he stepped forward towards the pilot seat of the speeder.

"You're not driving this thing in a state like that." Anakin snapped as he dumped the supplies in a storage compartment.

"If I remember right, your piloting skills were the damn most dangerous thing in the galaxy." Anakin glared.

"I can still pilot better than you can in that state. Now get round the other side." Waiting for an argument, Anakin was shocked when Kylo moved himself to the other side of the speeder, a scowl in his eyes. He lowered himself slowly into the seat next to Anakin who slowly turned the speeder engine on. He was baking under the hot sun and he was sure this all must be some sort of hallucination. Maybe the Rancor had knocked him out. He couldn't really be sitting in a speeder with Kylo Ren. But all seemed to be real. He slowly navigated the speeder, being slightly too forceful with the control, causing it to judder violently. Kylo grumbled and clutched his ribs tighter.

"Head north." Kylo said. "There is rocky terrain, we may find something for shelter. And its away from the facility."

"You think there are more pirates there?"

"It's where they found you wasn't it? I don't think they all went down in that massacre." Anakin pushed the controls forwards and they began shooting across the desert. He avoided most rocks of high dunes if he could, as every time he made the speeder shudder or shake in some way, Kylo looked ready to throw him from the speeder.

"I don't need you commenting on the way I pilot." He snapped as Kylo held back a snort as he lost control for a few moments.

"I said nothing."

"You're implying it. I'm a mechanic, not a force-damn pilot."

"The only thing you seem to be capable of." Kylo said, clearly at ease with the cooling system as they got bouts of cold air from the vents every few minutes. Soon the speeder reached the rocky terrain of the northern regions of Geonosis. They narrowly squeezed through valleys and came to a halt in the centre of a ridge between cliffs.

"This should do." Anakin said as he spied a small cave with the cliff side. It didn't go in any further than several meters, but the entrance was narrow enough to avoid intrusion by any large predators. A small tingle soothed the ache in his head and he was relieved to feel the familiar flow of the Force in his skin. Kylo's face seemed less pale in the sunlight, so maybe he was blocking some of his pain. Anakin glanced at the black-clad man as he managed to hold himself up better. Sith Lords used their pain to power themselves. And, from what he had seen, the Knights of Ren did the exact same thing, despite them considering themselves different from the Sith. Right now, Anakin wondered, if there would be a glimpse of Ben whilst Kylo Ren held back the pain, and thus his dark power.

The pair of them examined the small cave. It would provide good enough shelter for them for now. Until...what ever came next. Would the Resistance consider him killed in action and not come back, or would they try and find out what they could. He knew Poe Dameron would not leave a man behind if he could help it. It seemed to be written in Poe's DNA. But then again, the First Order would most certainly send a scout team to find their Commander in chief. He blinked out of his trance to see Kylo watching him.

"What are thinking?" Kylo asked, though he clearly knew the answer. "The First Order will come soon. It will be in your favour to keep your head down."

"I thought you had to kill me? Not to be taken prisoner, remember?" Anakin said as he pointed at himself.

"It is my decision. Don't question it." Kylo said, sitting against the wall.

""What about Snoke? And his decision?" Anakin asked, still standing in the entrance. "You would defy your master's decision about me?"

Kylo didn't speak. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall, his black hair beginning to clump in sweat, the same way as Anakin's. The younger brother decided to collect the supplies he'd packed into the speeder and set them up in their cave. The speeder was out of the heat of the sun so they had no worries about loosing their only transport. Their only issue now would be natives. Despite Kylo saying the planet to be uninhabited, he still felt numerous signatures within a few kilometres. He moved the few articles of sand clothing, blankets and little food rations along with the empty canteens.

He noticed Kylo open one eye to watch him as he spread one blanket across the ground and kick off his boots. His feet ached and his head throbbed. He lay down on the ground, lightly watching the few dust particles float in the air. His hand reached out and he buried his fingers in the sand.

"I hate sand." He grumbled as he felt it crawl under his fingernails. Kylo acted as if he heard nothing and continued to rest. Anakin silently decided to himself to go and look for water before it got dark. Otherwise they would dehydrate quickly once the next midday came around. He closed his eyes and savoured peaceful silence, even if Kylo's dark presence throbbed like an angry wound in his side. He enjoyed the cool flick of wind that seeped through his hair and let himself cool down for a while. He drifted in and out of heavy sleep for a while, taking the chance to conserve energy. When he finally forced his eyes open, the small glimpse of sky he could see through the entrance was turning a vague grey.

He pulled himself up onto his elbows and found Kylo at an alarmingly close proximity. The man had moved from the wall and had also laid down on the blanket, his head besides Anakin's feet. Ren had also removed his own boots and his black socked feet were besides Anakin's head. He turned his face away and was greeted by the image of a small boy pulling a face as his older brother shoved his feet in his face.

He shook the image away and pulled himself to his feet, even though his body protested. Pulling his boots on, but not bothering with the laces, he collected the two canteens and made his way to the opening of the cave. He stripped off his jacket and left it by the blanket as the cooler air greeted him. He kept his lightsaber clipped to his weapons belt as he hiked out, a pair of sand-goggles hanging around his nek in case of a sudden storm. He had no idea of which direction to head in. In his self-proclaimed exile, he had avoided desert planets. So he didn't have the first idea about finding water.

He decided to let the Force guide him towards small life-forms. If there were creatures still on Geonosis, no matter how primitive, they still would need water. Find them, find water, was his logic. He walked down through the rocky valley, his legs still aching and his head becoming strangely light. He watched as the sun began sinking below the horizon. Every step he took, the sky became that little bit darker. It would soon be too dark to see, let alone find water. But he kept walking away from the cave. Five kilometres. Ten kilometres. It was now nearly impossible to see. The dune of sand before him was slightly silvery under the stars and he could swear something was moving within the sand. His senses were screaming somebody was there, but his body protested with any movement, so he remained still.

Soon the life form took on a humanoid shape and was getting closer. And closer. And closer. Anakin's eyes were heavy and he was starting to slump. As he was ready to let his body drop to the ground and sleep in the sand. The figure took on the appearance of Han Solo.

"Dad?" He managed to croak, his throat completely parched. And he fell. The gritty sand wormed its way everything. How he hated sand. The figure of Han Solo stopped in front of him and began shaking his shoulder. He kept looking up to the stars, that twinkled daintily above. To the face of Han Solo looming over him. Anakin gave a small smile and closed his eyes. Still feeling the sand crawling under his fingernails.

 **Finally! You all got to read part 21! I am truly sorry for such a long wait but now that's I'm better I'll try and write the next one super quick, so it'll be better than this one. Also, the next chapter will have the return of an old friend and a little twist towards the end. So stay turned folks and I'll see you next time!**

 **May the Force be with you!**


	22. Dark Whisperings

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **Okay maybe this chapter did take a while, and again I'm sorry. So terrible. Much wait. Anyways, here is your new chapter! Enjoy!**

Whether it was the rumble of engines below, or his organs finally absorbing the water he had been given, Anakin's eyes finally opened slowly. He was aboard some kind of freighter and they had only just entered hyperspace, as shown through the viewport above his head. Anakin decided this is what must have woken him, and he slowly lifted himself up from the bunk.

"Nice to see you awake kid." A voice said, from the doorway, wet with humour. He glanced over and found Poe's smile reaching him from the doorway.

"Poe?" Anakin croaked, his throat dry, his own words sharp. He was grateful for the ship's dim lighting, otherwise it would have added to his discomfort. "What, you came back?"

"Of course I did! You didn't think I'd let you stay out there, did you?" Poe came over and clapped his back, a canteen of fresh water in his other hand. Anakin drank deeply, thankful for the cool liquid to soothe his throat. "I'll admit I wouldn't have found you all that way north, but its good I knew someone who would." Poe gestured for him to follow. They left the small quarters and into the cockpit of the small freighter. In the co-pilot seat, which turned, revealed a good friend.

"Finn! You're okay!" Finn grinned and slowly stood from the co-pilot seat. His movements were slow, nearly sluggish, the lightsaber having a lasting impact it seemed. "When did you wake up?" Anakin asked as he helped Finn back into the seat.

"A few hours after you all left. Rey was still gone when Poe came back, asking if I had ever been to Geonosis." Poe walked past and sat back into the pilot seat. "Good thing I was sent on an envoy to the trooper facility when it first opened. I must have been one of the last to visit it before the pirates took over."

Anakin sat down on a stretch of metal benching along the wall and glanced around the cockpit, looking for anyone hiding in the shadows. Poe caught him looking.

"It's just us on board, Ani." Poe said, hinting at Anakin's thoughts. "You were talking in your sleep..."

"I know he wasn't real. Just a hallucination." Anakin said, biting back the wave of disappointment. Han Solo hadn't really been there. He had wanted him to be, but he was gone…

Anakin suddenly chugged heavily from Poe's canteen to break any awkwardness. "Just us?" He said, once the need for oxygen as greater than a need for water. "Wait, we need to go back!" Poe and Finn glanced nervously at each other.

"He's in the brig." Finn said, sounding far too cool. "Didn't let him have a say. Made sure he was stunned before entering."

"He had a pretty busted rib. He must not have had it properly treated after the base blew up."

"No...he doesn't like Bacta tanks. Never has done." Again, another nervous glance. This time Anakin caught them at it.

"Rey knows, so I suppose you should...we're-"

"Brothers?" Poe put in. Finn snapped his head around suddenly.

"What did you say?" He said, and looked quickly between Poe and Anakin, and finally the doorway leading away from the cockpit towards where the brig's entrance must be.

"You look a lot alike, kid." Poe said as Anakin stuttered his confusion. "He doesn't have his mask anymore. You both look like General Solo."

"He's your brother. But you said your brother was..." Finn couldn't finish off his own words.

"I never said he was dead, Finn. I said he got a bit too close to Kylo Ren."

"You inferred it!" Finn yelled, taking them all by surprise. "When you said that I thought you meant he'd _killed_ him, not _become_ him!" Finn leaned back in his seat and ran a hand over his face. He then pulled himself up from the seat and made his way out of the cockpit, wavering slightly, his back arched slightly too much. Anakin made a move to go after him, but Poe rested a hand on his knee.

"Just let him cool down. He's seen and heard a lot about Kylo Ren. It'll take time."

"Whatever." Anakin grumbled. Finn's reaction wasn't what he had hoped for. Did Finn think it was easy for him to sit on the fact his older brother was one of the most dangerous beings in the galaxy? Powerful next to Snoke or a particularity angry Rancor. "What about you? What do you think about this?"

"We can't choose our family, kid. And I have far too much respect for General Organa, and General Solo. And you. I'm not judging you on what your brother has done." Anakin glanced from his knees to Poe for a second before returning to look down, his face set in a disturbed look.

"We should at the rendezvous point in the next ten minutes." Anakin rose from the bench. "Leave Finn for now, and don't go to the brig."

"But I-"

"You can see him when we land, just stay out of there for now kid. I don't want sibling rivalry to be the cause of my ship blowing up." Poe tried with the humour, but Anakin didn't laugh. A small bleep came from the doorway behind him and Anakin turned to see BB-8 roll into the cockpit. The little droid bleeped enthusiastically and rolled over as quickly as he could, missing Anakin completely and basking into the side of the wall. BB-8 shook his little dome head before finally managing to sit before Anakin. He felt a small smile on his face as the droid bleeped away in binary. It loosely translated in his head that the little droid had missed him.

"I missed you too buddy." Anakin said with a faint smile as he sat back in his seat. Poe and BB-8 brought the ship out of hyperspace too soon and they entered clear space where a cluster of Resistance ships sat in silence. Poe tuned the comm channel in and passed over the clearance code. Soon they had boarded the hanger bay of the Resistance's command ship – _The Reviver._

This was the ship in which Anakin had run away from. Nine years old, vulnerable and afraid of everything around him. Scared as to what his brother had done. Now he was back. The signal bared to notify the airlock shields being switched back on and that it was safe to turn off the ship's oxygen. A small team was waiting on the ground of the hanger. They were all dressed as if prepared for the fire fight of their lives. As Anakin, Poe and BB-8 walked (Or in BB-8's case, rolled) down the ramp, the team ran up.

"What are they-" he began to ask before it clicked. The commander of the First Order was sitting idly in the brig of this small freighter. Those troopers must have been preparing for some sort of mad demon who could pull them apart with a single thought. Snoke, maybe. Finn appeared at the top of the ramp and made his way down. BB-8 bleeped at the ex-trooper, but Finn just walked past and soon disappeared from sight.

Poe was about to say something, but Anakin beat him to it. "He just needs some time." And with that, Anakin walked off in a similar direction to Finn. _The Reviver_ had been updated, but the general layout was the same. He passed the mechanics working on X-Wings. Some Geonosian dust must have still been in his eyes as when he glanced at a pair working on an X-Wing, he saw himself, much younger, along side Han Solo, who was showing him how to reconnect the ruptured fuel line.

He blinked the dust from his eyes and clambered into the turbo lift. The doors of the lift were clear, and as he rose above the hanger bay, he could see he vague outline of the freighter and the group of troopers holding a tall dark-clad figure at gun point as they escorted him from the ship. Before Kylo Ren could look up and see him in the lift, the lift plummeted away into the upper levels of the ship. It came to a halt in the location designated to high command quarters. He should have had a clearance pass to get this far, but with a wave of his hand and a designated sigh, the lift believed him to have a pass and continued to spew upwards.

He stepped out into a highly polished corridor and followed the familiar route to his mother's quarters. The lack of people suggested it was the ship's night cycle, but his senses told him his mother may be in her quarters, but she was fully awake, probably completing forms on data pads, or wondering if Poe would be able to bring him home. Anakin always felt bad at neglecting the memory that he got his force abilities from his mother, as no sooner did he stand outside her door, did she open it and pulled him close.

Leia held him tightly, as her son wrapped his arms around her. She led him in doors and he collapsed in a seat opposite her desk, mental exhaustion taking over. He felt her hand run through his hair before she sat in the seat besides him.

"You brought him home. Thank you." It was the last thing he heard before he allowed himself to sleep.

The night cycle soon ended and more people began to work aboard _The Reviver_ as they remained in clear space. Their emotions and thoughts floating throughout space and soon Anakin was nudged awake by someone's feeling excitement. He opened his eyes and found himself sprawled on the couch within his mother's quarters, several sheets draped over him and his boots on the floor. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. The rims were caked in dirt and sand, as was every other part of his body. It was more noticeable in the pristine confinements of General Organa's quarters.

"Good morning, Master Ani." Chirped C-3PO as he entered through the main door, a breakfast tray in his hands. "Mistress Leia instructed me to bring this up for you and to inform you that you are requested on the bridge in one hour."

"Thanks Threepio." He said to the gold plated droid. He took the tray and ate the food. It had gotten slightly cold from the trip up form the ship's cafeteria but with the hunger in his stomach, nothing would stop him from eating whatever was put in front of him. Threepio also had a collection of fresh clothing thrown over his red arm. As soon as his tray was cleared he headed for the refresher and showered away the grime Geonosis had left on him. Water turned black and sand fell in clumps from his hair. He examined his normally pale face in the mirror and found it to be slightly tanned from the sun's exposure. Once cleaned and dressed in the simple grey pants and black shirt and boots Threepio had given him, he still had time before he had to go to the bridge.

As C-3PO picked up his discarded tray, he slipped out of the quarters and headed towards the turbo lift. Instead of command central, he pressed the key for the lowest depths of the ship, the cell block. People entered and left, some casting curious glances as he remained in the lift, his eyes half closed. The closer he got to him, the stronger the black presence Kylo emitted could be felt. The lift came to a final halt and he stepped out into the grey corridor. He followed the presence, which was damped, possibly by sleep or a heavy sedative. He hid whenever patrols came by. They would send him on his way and he wasn't going anywhere until he had seen Him. Outside the cell, two guards stood watch. The cell was simply three walls and the strongest protective shield covering the entrance.

Anakin crouched down behind a disposal unit and waved his hand slightly in the direction of the troops. They didn't move. They swayed slightly, but stayed there. He tried again and again they swayed, but stayed put. He closed his eyes and felt out. It had been so long since he'd pulled a mind trick of any kind. The feeling was almost foreign to him.

"You want to both get a cup of caff." He whispered into the air as he focused on them. "The prisoner is asleep. He isn't going anywhere. Everything is ok." The troop on the left swayed again and turned to his friend.

"What to get a cup of caff?"

"Yeah," His companion said. "He's asleep. He's not going anywhere." They then turned and walked past the disposal unit where he was crouched and disappeared round the corner. Slowly, he clambered to his feet and walked over to the faint green hued shield which Kylo Ren lay behind, on a bunk. His layers of black robes had been stripped back and all that remained were his black pants, but his chest was half covered by a pre-tank Bacta patch. A data pad clipped to the wall besides the cell indicated he was due in the medical wing for the tank in a few hours.

"You shouldn't have come." A voice rasped and Kylo opened his eyes, which narrowed in his direction.

"Says who?" He said back, leaning against the frame, wary not to touch the shield itself. Kylo grunted as he pulled himself up.

"Your friends, I'm assuming. One of them is not, shall we say _keen_ , on our relationship. He came by here a few hours ago. Looked ready to kill me in my sleep. I could feel what caused him to feel that way."

"You hurt Finn a lot. You and the First Order took his entire life and family from him. He's just shocked at our connection. But I doubt he will ever be _keen_ on it, as you say." Anakin narrowed his own eyes as what seemed o be a small smile flicker across Kylo's face, before twitching in pain of his ribs.

"Is that Poe Dameron I hear in your voice? You're mimicking what he's told you about your friend, _Finn_. You shouldn't copy someone else's words. Let what you feel come naturally. Let it guide your actions."

"I'm not taking _that_ advice from you, Ben. You're a shipwreck with that sort of thing." Kylo hissed, whether at pain or the name didn't matter. "Finn just needs time. I certainly did after I found out what you'd become." His hand felt oddly clammy, as if did when the hand of the Chiss girl let go, struck by the red saber.

"What about your other friend. The girl." Kylo said, the scar seeming to predominate his face more.

"Rey..." He didn't know. She knew of course, she found out after Kylo revealed his face to her. She had confronted him, but they had never had a real conversation on the topic. "...is none of your business." He said, clenching his fists slightly. Ren shook his dark hair from his eyes and observed Anakin.

"I know where she has gone." He said finally and that did it. Anakin turned and left the proximity. Kylo's guards returned from around the corner and shouted at him as he turned the corner and headed back towards the lift. On the way to the bridge, he rubbed the image of his brother form his eyes. He was trying to get into his head, still. He wouldn't stop. His voice whispered in the dark. But sometimes it wasn't Ben's voice he heard. What he head was a croak, a very quiet and low voice that whispered things he should not think of.

"Master Ani! Where have you been!" Threepio said, walking towards him as fast as his legs would allow him. Anakin strode past him and entered the bridge, where around a hundred or more ran around the area, relaying information. In the midst of this was the long white table where plans were made and witnessed to crumble on occasion. Leia stood up from the table once Anakin finally arrived, C-3PO hurrying behind him. Finn was at the table but didn't turn. Stood besides his seat was Rey. Her face brightened upon seeing him and she rushed over, her staff remaining up against the table. The two clung to each other for a moment, amongst the chaos.

"You're back sooner than I expected." Anakin said as they let go of each other. She was dressed in light blue robes that resembled the design of her work robes from Jakku. Her face remained as tan as ever and she stood to the side to allow Anakin to see who was standing besides his mother.

Upon seeing Luke Skywalker, after so long, next to his twin, his face worn and his eyes distant, Anakin moved around the table. Uncle and nephew eyed each other. Kylo Ren's words from minutes before hissed in his ear, his breath almost real as he spoke.

" _Let what you feel come naturally. Let it guide your actions."_

That was the moment when Anakin Solo punched Luke Skywalker directly in the face.

 **Ouch. I really wanted an impacting reunion between Luke and Anakin, and this was the best that came to my head. Thanks for reading this chapter, and if you have any thoughts on it please let me know in the comments! And I'll see you all next time!**

 **May the Force be with you!**


	23. Three to Serve, Three to Rule

_**One Light, One Dark**_

 **Hello fellow beings! I hath returned! I am so sorry for the small hiatus I seemed to put this story on. At first I was focused on other work, then I was struck with personal reasons, but now I'm easing back into this story. Don't worry; I wouldn't abandon it without just cause and informing you all.**

 **But now here's a taster chapter – this is for me and you guys to get back into the works. It is key to a larger chapter, so I hope you like it!**

"This isn't necessary, is it?" Anakin said through gritted teeth, his expression near cold. The barrier activated and he remained within the cell as Rey looked on with concern evident in her face, her eyes watching him intently as he paced his cell like a restless animal.

"I'm afraid it is." Rey sighed. "High command what you psychologically analysed after that stunt. It wasn't a smart move Ani." The light stab of humour flew by ignored. Anakin pushed his hair from his face and stared steely eyed back.

"They think I'm disturbed all of a sudden? That's nice. It was a lapse." Rey, frowning, kneeled down on the ground as Anakin sat himself against the wall of the cell. His mind felt fogged and his veins filled with blood too thick as he re-lived his attack on his uncle. Uncertain of what made him pounce so suddenly.

"They broke protocol by letting you lead a mission without assessing your mental state when you returned. Your age was bad enough, now Nieve is pushing to have you confined for who knows how long."

"I'm not his soldier, Rey. I'm no one's soldier, they can't keep me in here."

"Nieve agrees – you're not a soldier, you're just a child in his eyes. Until they are sure that you just acted rashly, and aren't experiencing a breakdown they will let you out." Rey reached out and placed her hand on the density of the green shield separating them. He didn't reach back.

"They will let me out once certain I'm not a threat that cannot be easily exterminated." He argued.

Rey sighed and removed a strand of her brown hair before concentrating hard on her friend. "You scared me. One punch might have been forgiven (possibly) but…they nearly had to _sedate_ you – you wouldn't stop. Why are you so angry with him?" Rey asked, crossing her legs.

"Look in the cell down the hall and that will tell you why." Anakin felt himself the spit the words and Rey's eyes darkened. Her eyes shifted slightly, further up the corridor towards the higher security cells.

"You blame him for what that…that… _thing_ is in a cell? For what he's done? He made himself a monster, I'm sorry."

"You don't blame Skywalker? No, of course you don't." Blood began to thicken in Anakin's body and he felt a fire begin burning too bright, far more than faint cinders. "He ruined everything. He should have stopped – he could have - but he…" The flood of words barricaded themselves in his throat to an extremity close to making Anakin want to rip them from his skin. Rey rose to her feet.

"Take a night to calm down and I'll come first thing in the morning with General Organa and get you out. But Anakin…you need to stay _calm_."

A strange chuckle made its way from the midst of violent words he was choked up on. "Calm down? You think my mother is going to let me out? I know she will be behind this now; she won't want anything in the way of the Resistance going head to head with the First Order. She doesn't let things stand in her way. Look at my brother." Anakin felt those vindictive words of his own mother burn his tongue, but he offered no apology.

Rey's face fell as she watched someone she believed to be kind hearted and warm, if a little dry, to become such a cold creature at the sight of the master Jedi.

"Cool off over night, I'll see you in the morning." Rey left and Anakin listened to her footfalls as she followed the length of the detention centre. Her footsteps faulted slightly to indicate she passed Kylo's cell. The floor was bare apart from the two of them. There would be patrols at regular intervals but Anakin knew they would focus more through the cameras stations in the corner of each cell.

"I have never heard such a tale," A voice called softly down the corridor as soon as the main lights were extinguished. A normal voice would not carry so, but the Force allowed the words to speak as if Ren were simply sitting next to him. "Normally I was the _emotionally unstable_ one."

Anakin sighed to himself as he lay down on the bunk. "Is that what they think I am?" He replied, scathingly.

"Guards passed by an hour ago. They mentioned it must run in the family. How our ancestors must be proud of what we've become."

"What _you've_ become," Anakin retorted, looking hazily at the small security lights that lined the length of the corridor floor. Tiny pinpricks of light followed each other like a specific constellation. He faced the ceiling and felt the anger that had surged through him at the sight of Luke Skywalker. The incident had occurred hours ago: once they pulled him off the older man he had been held in the secure medical wing. But it was all a blur.

He had scared Rey. That had not been his intention. He wasn't sure what his intention had been. Just the sight of the man, eyes so forlorn like he had suffered. He had not suffered. He had failed, but that was not suffering. He had not suffered as Ben had done, nor how he himself had done, as one would upon seeing their brother become – as Rey put it – a monster.

As he lay in silence – thankful for a lack of other prisoners and his brother's unsociability – Anakin tried to calm his franticly beating heart. He tried in vain to calm his breathing but he could not be paced. He was erratic and wired. With his eyes shut, he briefly scrambled at a calming technique taught early in his childhood. But it was futile. It wasn't that he couldn't, but the fact he didn't want to.

To lash out at Skywalker was the result of spite over years. The more he heard of Kylo Ren's name, the more he blamed himself. But those many were right: it had never been _his_ fault for his brother's position. It had been Luke Skywalker's. The man was the master Jedi. He trained them both personally, the guardian uncle. But he failed. Ben had been seduced without even knowing it.

Without calm and clarity, Anakin felt the anger that had guided him in those moments. The feeling his burned right thought his soul. And in the furthest reaches of his mind, the smallest voice whispered a truth:

 _You enjoyed it._

He couldn't deny it – he couldn't lie to himself. He had enjoyed the power he had released over Skywalker in those moments. The voice sparked the regret of not having his lightsaber to hand at the time.

 _No!_

A mental barrier encased his mind away from the gentle brush of the voice. It was as light as a summer wind and so inviting. To agree to the idea he had enjoyed the power. That was a side of the Force he should never have experienced. He clawed at his face and stifled the scream that ached to be released. He kicked off his boots violently and attempted to switch off his mind. It worked to begin with. But once he opened his eyes hazily in the middle of the night cycle, he caught glimpse of a figure beyond the cell barrier that had been watching him. The voice returned and spoke softly.

 _He's been there for hours. He sees you as a threat._

The figure moved away to leave. The security lights showed the bruised eye of Luke Skywalker who looked on, surveying his nephew before leaving.

Almost at once, with the unconscious prompt of the voice, he leapt to his feet. "Come back here! Face me you coward! You sleemo of a Jedi! Face me! Face him! Face what you've made! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Had the anger that guided him not clouded his mind, he would have made sense of the words he was shouting. To his mind, they were unintelligible sounds, but the voice whispered lightly, telling him exactly what to say. Throat raw, he stopped screaming once sure Skywalker was gone. As anger bubbled, fear radiated from Anakin – fear of what he was thinking, doing, saying.

 _What is happening?_

 _What is wrong with me?_

He studied his hands as if they held the key – as if expecting to see someone else's, not his own. But they held no answers. Slowly, tears began to streak down his cheeks as he huddled into the furthest reaches his cell provided.

 _You are a threat as you can be far greater_

 _I can make you greater_

"WHAT ARE YOU?" As if manipulated by an invisible hand, no more than a child's puppet, he began kicking out violently, hammering on the walls, and screaming into the air, to nothing directly. But should the voice have a physical form, the Force told Anakin it would be grinning right now.

And that was the last drop of fuel he needed. The bunk which was welded to the wall twisted into a molten mess, lights flashed to an intolerable degree, sparks flew and hissed from control panels and the walls of the cell and it's neighbours groaned as the structure was twisted against its will. The whole time Anakin could not stop screaming to himself, and within his own mind. The tears stained his cheeks silently as he screamed.

 **/STAR WARS/**

The place was primitive. Compared to the gleaming halls of Starkiller Base, Hux secretly missed the gradure it provided. Now the planet they regrouped on was noting more than a de-evolutionised cave. No threatening life forms and far enough from the centre of the galaxy for them to re-cooperate in peace before they could cause a fatal strike.

Boots polished to a high standard, Hux followed the route as if he were a native to the large chamber. Shrouded in darkness, the being, the saviour, was near invisible, save for the piercing eyes that watched Hux before he had even entered the room. He did not enter with his heart on his sleeve – weakness was not tolerable.

"Supreme Leader." Hux bowed instantly. To serve, to better the universe, it was encoded in his genetics. The figure's head remained elusive, within the shadows, but the voice carried so.

"General Hux, our plan…must advance."

"Supreme leader," Hux held back any undignified fear from his voice. "We are not ready. Several more days and systems will be operational. We can strike-"

"The Resistance will be long gone by the time you are prepared general. We must advance our plans. Forces are in motion."

Hux waited silently, his heart growing colder with each beat.

"Forces which will entail our victory should we strike now."

"Without Ren we may be at a, however slight, disadvantage-"

"Kylo Ren is of no concern at this moment. Our next weapon is utilizing. With that, Kylo Ren will be enfolded permanently. We have one method of attack remaining general."

Hux said nothing.

"The child of Skywalker is our advantage in this time." The great being sat upon it's throne. Whether projection or physical form, it never failed to intimidate. "We have Skywalker's child to strike. That child is key to our success." Snoke paused briefly, as if internally examining the man below him.

"Next we shall have both Ren and the Other. The First Order will rise. And shall never fail in this time."

General Hux, knowing his orders, immediately bowed once more and left. Preparations would be made.

They would strike with one to gain two more. Three in total. Three to keep, to rule, to secure.

 **Done! Finally an update. It was long overdue. I hope that was enough to satisfy you guys for now. If you liked my sudden return and this chapter than please hit me up with a review and I'll see you guys a lot soon than this time round, pinky promise!**

 **May the Force be with you!**


	24. Author's Note

**Hello avid readers!**

 **I am writing this today to update the status of this story. I have not updated for some time, and I know many of you are wondering if this story is discontinued or not.**

 **What is going on with this story is that I am in the process of re-writing. I know it is not complete as of right now, but when I began writing this, I went headfirst and did not plan it properly. So as of now, I've been stuck in writers block for some time. So as a result, I have decided to take the short break you've witnessed, and begin the process of writing new drafts and plans for this.**

 **Much of the plot idea will centre the same, but with tweaks here and there, and improved writing skills, something I hope to have learned from a class I am taking. I am currently in the process of re-writing the first chapter, but I do not have an exact date to publish. Hopefully before the 15** **th** **December 2016. So keep an eye out!**

 **I will keep the first and original One Light One Dark on here, as I do not want to loose the comments from you all, which has helped me continue this story. So that's it guys! A re-write is in process! Also, it will be on my AO3 page, under the same username if any of you want to read it on there instead.**

 **So I hope to see you soon with your opinions of the re-write. I hope you enjoy it, and thank you for supporting this story all the way!**

 **I will see you soon!**

 **May the force be with you!**


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